Poisoned Rain
by bluexwolfx
Summary: What would it have been like if Hige and Blue really had left the pack and no one died? Now the two wolves must live with their decision. They might just find their own prophecy along the journey, one intertwined with others. On hiatus.
1. Where They Are Now

**Poisoned Rain**

What would it have been like if Hige and Blue really had left the pack and no one died? Now the two wolves must live with their decision as they continue to wonder if the others ever made it to Paradise. Or if it even existed. Suddenly, the five meet up again, each bearing different news and new feelings.

**Chapter One**

**Where They Are Now**

Two wolves traveled through snow encrusted land. It was just the two of them, but they were growing tired. They had been moving around for a while now, and, at first, they had been content with their new lifestyle.

One wolf, Blue, trailed further behind her partner, and she had to push herself to make even one step. Finally, she could not move any farther. She let out a high-pitched whimper, alerting her mate to stop. The brown wolf swung around and obediently trotted back to his mate.

"What's wrong, Blue? Are you tired?" Hige almost added _again _but then decided it wasn't worth the glare he would receive and the fight that would ensue, even if it would last for only a few moments.

"I'm sorry, Hige, I just can't keep up anymore." The bluish wolf had taken the form of a female human now and she leaned warily against a tree. "I want to keep going, but I can't." Her voice was soft, and Hige couldn't be annoyed with her.

He sat down next to her, a human now as well. "It's okay; we've been traveling for a couple hours now. Maybe we should get some food." He looked excited now. Hige couldn't resist food.

Blue couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Ugh. Well if you must, go ahead." She smiled at the cheeky boy and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Thanks, Blue!" Hige said, jumping up and taking off. He hit the ground at a run. As a wolf. He barked a quick goodbye, but then was gone from view.

Blue watched his fading form, and with a sigh, leaned back further. She closed her eyes, but couldn't keep them like that for very long. The eyes flickered open again and they were a deep sea-blue. They searched for the sky, but couldn't see it through the canopy of trees.

Hige. She loved him. She really did. He was all she had left and she would follow him anywhere. Hige had become depressed after discovering his forgotten past and lonlieness had entered his heart when he found out he had was the last to survive. The last to not be stuffed and mounted for Jagura to admire.

But was leaving the answer? The other three had been such close friends, but Hige had told her a thousand times that he was happy to be with her. After a while, he had admitted that he did miss friends, but requested that Blue stopped bringing them up. Blue had shut up after that, but the guilt never left _her._

Why did she care anywhere? None of them were actually interested in getting to know her like Hige had, and Blue couldn't blame them for that. She had spent months hunting the wolves down. She was a clueless dog back then.

Breathing out slowly, Blue lifted her head and saw Hige trotting back to her. A small rabbit dangled from his jaws. Blue had to admit, that guy had a nose.

The strong wolf tossed the rabbit in front of her before tearing into it. Blue fell upon it as well, now in the form of a wolf. They ate ravenously until there was only a few bones left. Hige promptly picked one up and settled down, gnawing on it.

Blue saw her chance and jumped forward, snatching the bone from him. She stepped back, dancing around and wagging her tail. Hige growled, playing his part, and stood up, barreling over to Blue. He fastened his teeth to one end and tugged. Unfortunatly, the bone was very small and snapped in two almost instantly. Blue tossed her piece to the ground, but still wanted to play. She slapped her paws on the ground, wagging her tail again to each side.

Hige dropped his piece and ran towards her. Blue jumped back to avoid him and the two started a ritual. Blue danced around, while Hige tried every trick he knew to 'tag' her. Finally, Hige feined left and jabbed Blue off her paws. He fell down on her, nuzzling her sweet-smelling fur.

Blue rolled over onto her back, gazing up at him with those blue eyes. Hige stared back down, caught in her gaze. He bent down, both humans now, and pulled her up to him. She obliged, but passed up the opportunity for a kiss by instead dropping her head on his shoulder. Hige didn't protest; simply scooped her up with his arms and pulled her closer to his chest.

The two wolves remained like this for a while, until slowly they shifted to the ground, lying on their sides. They fell asleep just as a new snowfall began.

* * *

Blue was the first to wake up, and standing, shook the snow from her pelt. She took her bearings, but then leaned over and licked her mate's ear. He twitched, but was awake soon. He stood up, licking her muzzle before removing the snow from his pelt as well.

Blue had requested that they wait for the right to moment. When they had a house and constant supply of food. Already the rabbit seemed so far away.

"We'll make it, Blue, we always will."

The voice surprised her and a quick check revealed Hige looking his sincerest. Blue bit her lip, but nodded. Hige was already turning away, a curious look now on his face. "When I was hunting yesterday, I noticed that this place looked… _familiar._ I don't know why; searching for Paradise we never stopped off here. But somehow, I feel like their just around the corner!"

He broke off, already racing, with Blue trying to keep up. He rounded corner after corner but no other wolves were seen. His pace slowed finally and he stared out at a cliff, his head hanging.

Blue approached warily, and, still wolf, rubbed her body against his. "I'm sorry, but their probably many miles away. Or-or in Paradise."

Hige shook his head impatiently, but relaxed under her touch. "I never really understood Paradise, or how it worked. Maybe that's why I could never believe."

"But at least you knew." The gray wolf pointed out. "By the time I heard of it, I really don't know what to believe. It was too late for me. Besides," she went on, "I doubt a wolf _hybrid_ would be accepted."

"Blue!" Hige hissed, hearing the bitterness enter her voice. "We have each other. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here. Otherwise, we would have no purpose for going on."

"True enough." She replied with a good natured laugh, though it was a short one. "Come on. We've been moving this long, so we must be searching for something. Now we just figure out what 'something' is."

Hige gazed at Blue, longing in his own eyes. _Could she have said anything more perfect? She always knows just what to say, and how to say it._ The brown wolf gave a short nod.

They would carry on because they wanted to, not because they had to.

Two wolves trekked through frost-bitted land all day and well into the night before they stopped again. They felt a sense of purpose now- a reason to keep going. They liked this new feeling, and so, kept walking. They weren't in a hurry, but they didn't want to be lazy either. After all, Paradise had a new meaning now.


	2. Capture and Arrival

**Chapter Two**

**Capture and Arrival**

Days passed, but all was silent for Hige and Blue. They would trek for miles each day, then get a hasty sleep at any time, day or night. Neither spoke of any discomfort- after all, this was what they had wanted. Eventually, they crossed out of the forest and now entered a frozen tundra. It had been almost a month since they both expressed wonder for their friends, and had shared a rabbit.

Hige was clearly more at ease out here; his tongue lolled out of his mouth and his stance was at ease. Blue wasn't as sure, but she made an effort not to whine. She hated whining; it made her think she was a puppy again. Or a dog.

There breath could still be seen as a frozen cloud, and they both wondered every day if Paradise had truly been opened by the others. Blue was a bit more optimistic for them, but Hige thought they had no chance of finding it. Neither wolf expressed their thoughts to the other, though.

One day, during one of their brief resting periods, something changed.

Blue sat up abruptly. "Hige… What is going on over there?"

Hige flipped himself around, a growl coming from his through. "The hell she think she's doing?" Shaking his head, he spoke more clearly. "That's Jagura's area; I guess she didn't die." The last word was drowned out by a deep snarl from a tan wolf.

Blue crouched down, unsure of what was happening. She knew of Jagura, but she had been in the castle with the others when everything happened. Hige had requested she stay out of the ordeal.

But now. Ahead of them, and only visible because of the open tundra, were several flying ships in the air. They moved slowly, as if looking for something.

"Be prepared to run, Blue." Hige whispered to the other wolf. He had no idea what Jagura's intentions were, but he feared that he was jeopardizing Blue's safety. "No wonder this damn place looked so familiar!"

A deep clunking sound was heard from behind, and the wolves ripped around in time to see a black armored soldier lift his gun and shower them with bullets. He wasn't alone; about fifty others were doing the same thing.

"Run, Blue!" Hige screamed, grabbing her hand and beginning to run. Blue stumbled a bit, but then regained her ground and followed. But more troops stood in there way, and in no time at all, the two wolves were cut off from escaping.

The firing had ceased, but seeing his chance, one soldier lifted his gun and fired at Blue.

Blue collapsed on the ground, too surprised to feel any pain at first. Her hands found were she had been shot and tried to cover the bleeding hole. Hige crouched down beside her, anger radiating from him. He saw where Blue kept her hands and knew that the bullet had hit her shoulder. She would live, but that didn't mean he still wasn't upset about it.

Snarling, Hige leaped forward, his jaws connecting with the soldier's neck all too easily. The soldier toppled over with a brown wolf still on him.

About ten other soldiers lifted their shields and fired, throwing Hige back next to Blue with some invisible force. Simultaneously, the troops stepped forward, wielding swords now. A numbness had entered Blue and she watched helplessly as her mate was tossed aside. "Hige!"

Hige growled again, standing shakily to his paws. His lips were pulled back, fangs glistening. He refused to be beaten in front of Blue.

But surprisingly enough, it was Blue that made him stop.

"Hige. They will kill you if you keep attacking, and-and I can't help you f-fight…" She trailed off, her voice beginning to break.

The wolf whipped his head around, angry until he saw the female's pained expression. He dipped his head low to the ground and remained by her side. They would be wolves now, having no need to speak or reveal anything.

It was funny, and somewhat ironic, but whenever wolves spoke, they inadvertably took the form of man. It was almost as if they knew it was uncommon for animals to speak human tongue, and so automatically changed their form.

But there was nothing funny about now. The soldiers closed in their loose circle. When they were close enough, a few took a hold of a net and prepared to toss it over the wolves. Hige snarled once as it came down on them, pressing closer to Blue so that their fur brushed. The net descended on them, and a quick jab with something had both wolves knocked out.

* * *

The first thing Hige noticed when he woke up was that he was in a truck. And it was on a very bumpy road. He swore loudly as his head connected with the ceiling. He pressed his head on the bruise that was forming and his hand brushed something metal. Confused, Hige blinked a couple times and then understood what he was really in.

A dog cage. How fitting.

A quick inventory told him that Blue and he were both in separate dog cages with barely any room to move. They were packed tightly in the back of a truck, along with several other confused animals. Holding his breath, Hige couldn't relax until he knew that none of the others were wolves. But… What was going on?

His head was pounding too hard to think right and he tried shifting to his side and lay down, but it was impossible. He was left with leaning awkwardly on the back of his cage that was made out of lumpy, metal bars. Hige began muttering to himself, swearing a few times, until he woke Blue up.

She lifted her head, but was more careful than Hige and managed not to bang her head. She cringed as the little movement seemed to reopen her bullet wound. She breathed out slowly until it was even, and only then did she face Hige.

"I guess I should be used to this situation by now." Her voice was so soft that it broke his heart to see her where she was. But Blue went on, undeterred. "Only, Cheza was with me. Cher and Hub were the ones who rescued us, and then Jagura's ships swooped down with a beam, and just- took them away." Blue looked away, remembering how Cheza had suggested she had feelings for Hige.

"Don't worry, Blue, you have me this time. And when have I ever failed you?" He smiled, closing his eyes. It was the kind of smile that lightened up any atmosphere, no matter how depressing.

"Oh, Hige, I have never doubted you."

The wolves fell silent, and it wasn't long until the truck slammed to a stop and everything slid forward and bumped a couple of things. The wolves growled in annoyance, but the other animals could only look around warily. They didn't have the intelligence of wolves. Except for one. It was a small wild cat. She had perceptive green eyes that avoided looking at the wolves.

Blue noticed the cat out of the corner of her eye and understand the reluctance to join in the conversation. Wolves at her kind. But Blue decided that she wouldn't, and if she could save even one creature, it would be this one.

A metal ramp was lowered to the ground and the flaps were brushed back. Several men rushed forward and began shifting cages down the ramp. They avoided the wolves until there were none left. The men approached warily and kept their hands firmly away from the bars in case of a sudden attack.

Blue winced as her wound began throbbing again, but refused to complain about it. She had to stay strong for Hige. And she had to remain wolf.

Hige was only paying attention to Blue, ignoring everything else around him. Blue gave him a meaningful look, which he dutifully ignored.

The wolves were set on the ground with the rest of the captives. Now a wolf, Hige could stretch out on the ground, which he did, giving him a somewhat lazy and unintelligible look. Blue gave a low woof, telling him not to play around anymore.

Time passed slowly as one by one the animals were given a bowl of water and then suddenly became sleepy and unresponsive. Only then were they released from their cages. Blue had watched with concern when it was the little cat's turn, but the cat took a few laps of water, letting it dribble back out from her mouth when the men had turned around. She was let out as well and stumbled appropriately when she took a couple steps, and blinked, as if she were in a daze.

Blue was amazed by the little cat's cunningness and decided to do the same. She hoped she would be approached first, so Hige could watch and see what she did. As it turned out, the men did feed her first, but they dropped strips of meat into her cage, obviously hoping to appease her.

Blue stepped back, suddenly unsure. She could see the cat openly watching her now. The gray wolf let out a gust of breath and leaped at the meat. She ate a few pieces- enough to hide in her mouth without looking odd- but then fell back from the food, shaking her head. She saw the men look confused and mutter amongst themselves. They shrugged and went to give meat to the second wolf. Blue swung her head around and spat the meat out. It had been difficult to give up such easy food, but the consequences would not be worth it. She needed to be awake right now.

Hige, who had seen the whole performance, did the same. And both wolves were released from their cages. They stepped graciously off of the metal flooring and gave themselves a shake. They stepped forward into the tired crowd of animals, but did not appear dopey or hostile. The men were again perplexed, but decided to let it slid for now and began the process of herding the animals into a building.

Blue held back for a moment, her instincts screaming at her to run.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you. But I'm not. Thank God, might I add. But if I were you, I wouldn't run." It was the little cat. She was suddenly standing to Blue, staring transfixed at her with those unblinking green eyes.

Blue grunted, suddenly feeling annoyed by this cat. She began walking, but towards were the humans wanted. Hige was a few ways ahead, scouting out everything.

The little cat padded beside Blue as if it were the most normal thing possible. She reached only half way up the wolf's legs, but couldn't be bothered by this.

"My name, as far as you need to know, will be Felidae." The cat spoke again. "I'm formally called a Sand Cat, and virtually extinct, as far as anyone knows."

Felidae's voice was velvety and musical, and Blue had to give her head a shake to keep it clear.

"My name… is Blue. And that's Hige. Wolves have been forever feared, and hated, and- hunted." She swallowed noisily and hastily moved on. "Any reason why you're tagging onto _me_?"

"You're a wolf, and wolves are always the last to survive. So even if we all go to Hell, I want to be there for when it ends. Plus, I know a few things that could help you live, a bit longer at least." Feliadae replied, her voice indifferent.

Blue immediately thought of Paradise and felt a tug to go to it. If this cat believed it was there, in a sense anyway, then shouldn't a wolf?

"How have you survived this long? You are completely not built to be in this weather, or land even." Blue pointed out, wanting to find out more about her new "companion."

Felidae became guarded and gave a clipped response. "Being here is unfortunate for me, but I can't travel like you. I'm making do with what I can."

The wolf shrugged and focused on the task at hand: Escaping. So far, she had either missed her chance or it hadn't come yet.

The animals, who were mainly an assortment of cats or other wild predators, were hustled into a narrow building, through flaps that stood for a door. A growl rumbled from Hige's chest, but he fell silent when he remembered he couldn't be hostile. He grumbled for a moment at that.

Upon entering, the animals were met by more working men and separated into groups. The wolves and Felidae made up their own group; Felidae only being with them because she wanted to be. Using sharp sticks that emitted electricity, the men forced the animals back into separate containers within their group and locked them in tight.

Despite her wound, Blue felt fine, if not tired. She supposed she healed as fast as the others with a little rest. Hige was next to her on the left, and Felidae on her right. She comforted herself by saying that they were there and ready to help. She knew that sounded weak, but then again, she was a dog.


	3. The Next Step in Capture

**Chapter Three**

**The Next Step In Capture**

_a/n: Hey everyone, thought I'd update with a bit about what's going on. The ending for chapter two might seem a bit off, and that's mostly because I was falling asleep as I was writing. Also, this fanfic has no definite plot at the moment, so I'm pretty much winging it. I'd love to hear some suggestions if you want to see anything or know anything. It might take a few chapters, but I'll try and incorporate. Reviews are appreciated, even if it is just tell me my writing sucks. (:_

* * *

Letting a sigh escape her lips, Blue lifted her eyes open. She had been trying to sleep for the past hour, but had been most unsuccessful. She tried shifting around in her human form, but it made no difference. She and Hige had been captured for three days now. When the "officials" had heard that there were actual, real-life wolves, he ordered them to have bigger cages and full service. But Blue still felt nervous and uncomfortable. She had a single, thin sheet and two doggy dishes. She was always careful to remain wolf when men were nearby, but sometimes, it was just easier to take their form.

Hige was holding up much better than Blue, most likely because he had been in worse situations. He could always tell when anyone was nearby with his sensitive nose and warn Blue. He always checked the food and water for any unusual scents, but had found none so far. There was always the chance the poison could be odorless, but Hige didn't seem as worried as Blue in that perspective.

Using her own charm, the little cat, Felidae, now resided in a cage much too big for her across from Blue's. Hige's was situated next to Blue on the right. Other cages were stacked around them, but had no occupants.

Blue shifted again, leaning against the metal know. Their weren't even in any bars in this "cage," just some pretty thick transparent hard plastic had the entrance with a window that could be opened and closed for inserting items. Now as she moved around, she felt no pain, except for some soreness. Her shoulder wound was virtually non-existent, as wolves healed fast. It would have healed faster if the moon had been in view. Blue felt slightly lost without it.

She wasn't actually what sort of plan was needed to escape from here, but it wouldn't be long before the experiments began. Already her lustful blue coat was getting miserable- like a worthless dog's.

She shut her aquatic eyes, breathing in and out slowly. It was difficult for her to think of how meager dogs were in comparison to wolves, considering she had been a dog not lot ago.

But she had never truly been in a dog. She had been able to understand Quent and his commands, and the fire…

A slight knock jolted Blue from her nostalgia. She crouched in a feral position- which was still a bit difficult to do in her closed quarters- but then heard the knock again. She relaxed, it was Hige, but then tensed again, remembering it to be his warning. Humans were coming.

* * *

A tall man stepped in a smart, black suit stepped through the rows of cages, two guards at his side. He deemed them unnecessary, and yet, here they were. He stopped, swiftly bending down and peering more closely into a rather large metal cage.

A blue-eyed wolf glared back at him, mistrust clear in every hair on her pelt. She was richly blue, but the man was interested in her. All wolves grew into yellow eyes, yet this one still held the blue eyes of a cub. Interesting.

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully and walked a few paces to the next cage. This one had been identified as a male Mexican wolf. He was bigger than the female, and more indifferent and colder, in a different way than the female.

The last animal in this section was a… cat?

The man, Mr. William Jay, stared at the Sand Cat with a confused expression. How had this tiny and seemingly insignificant end up near such important animals as wolves? He blinked, but found that he couldn't order her to be put into a lesser section. If it was possible, Jay would have her been put into an even better holding station.

He blinked again as the cat lifted her soft head, her green eyes gazing innocently at William Jay. Shaking his head, he wandered back to the female wolf who had been given the name XX-08. The male was XY-09. And the cat was, well, honestly didn't have a name.

XX-08 had retreated to the back of her cage, dutifully ignoring the Mr. Jay as he inspected her. However, like the cat, she lifted her head and gazed at him. But her survey was penetrating with accusations and pain. Jay held out his hand, and the wolf saw the familiar gesture. She hesitated, then seemed to remember herself and turned away. XY-09 hadn't moved at all.

Jay was curious about the partnership of the two wolves and wanted to do further studies. For that, they would have to be put into the same cage. He turned to his two guards.

"I'm finished with my inspection now. I need further studies on their behavior before I can begin taking samples." He gestured to the wolves. "Remove the metal wall between the cages and set up a camera, one that they can't see, to run full time. I want the tapes delivered to my lab every morning."

The guards saluted Jay. "Yes, sir."

They marched off in a sort of jog, leaving William Jay alone. He crouched beside XX-08's cage.

"You interest me, wolf, and I want to learn more about you. Maybe you could share your secrets with me?"

He hadn't expected an answer, and nearly wet himself when the blue wolf threw herself against the plastic wall, snarling. Her jaws snapped and even William Jay could hear the noise. He regarded the wolf for a moment, then stiffly walked away.

* * *

Blue slumped down to the ground, her back against the wall. Her hands covered her face. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling. Apprehensive, no doubt, but what else? Guilt? Satisfaction? She shook her head, confused really.

She hadn't spoken or seen Hige in a number of days and was yearning for his comfort. The only way they had come with a system was when they had been in the smaller cages and still able to hear each other. Blue, in fact, hadn't heard a word the suited man had said, but instinct had acted on her and as soon as spoke something to her, she snapped. Literally.

Isolation did not work very well for the wolf. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered memories that she didn't want to, making her depressed or angry.

Mood swings didn't work that well either.

The first wave of memories that hit was when she and Hige had left. Blue closed her eyes and was swept up in that day.

* * *

Quent's fever had broken that day on the frozen tundra, and Blue had been by his side when he had awoken. But she was a wolf now, and he could never forget that hatred. The wolves, as humans, began explaining everything, but was put off by the mention of taking him to Paradise. He rejected Blue because of her being part wolf, and walked away like they hadn't spent several years together.

The pain had been almost too much for Blue, and before Quent was out of sight, she had turned and walked in the other direction. She ended up on a cliff, staring out at nothing when Hige appeared. He was still broken himself from the recent discovery that he was no one. A traitor to his own kind.

Blue had started talking, asking where he was planning on going. Before he had gotten in a coherent answer, she interrupted him, saying she was going where ever he was. She then had asked them that he truly had no intentions of going to Paradise, but she herself would still follow him. She had gotten angry at his question of what she was inferring, and then they both said that they doubted Paradise would accept them.

She was close to losing everything, Hige was all she had left. He had to understand that.

What had come next had been the easy part.

A beam had suddenly shot down from the sky, obliterating some place. A raging wind of sand and dirt had suddenly picked up, blasting everything in sight. Tsume had found her and Hige, and a rather blunt conversation ensued.

Blue could still remember _that_ very clearly…

Hige stood in front of Blue, his back to the wind, shielding her. It ended with a final, zestful blow, and then nothing. Turning around, the two were startled to see Tsume just standing there, the bored expression on his face.

Hige spoke first, cautious. "Tsume, what are you doing here?"

"We need to leave. Cheza has sensed something." He paused deliberately. "Kiba figured you would want the chance to say goodbye."

Hige cast his eyes downward, looking tired. There was no sign of the wolf that had been full of life and jokes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please. You had no intention of going to Paradise from the start. It was just _convenient_ for you to travel with other wolves." Tsume snorted, irritated now.

Hige raised his amber eyes, staring levelly at Tsume. Blue wanted to desperately say something, but she would only make it worse.

"I will admit that I had doubts about Paradise, and still do. The idea seemed too perfect to be true. But I never went with you because it was _convenient_."

Tsume's eyes bored into his eyes, his voice still blasé. "Oh yeah? Is that the truth, now? Face it, you were always a traitor, even if you didn't mean to be."

Blue watched as Hige clenched his fists tightly, and winced.

"Maybe that is the truth. But God knows I would never betray you guys by own free will. But you're right in saying that I was never going to go to Paradise." His eyes hardened slightly. "Blue and I are leaving. This pack isn't for us anymore. We have other goals to accomplish."

Tsume held up his hands in a shrug. "Very well. I just needed to hear the truth coming from your own mouth." Then Tsume said the unexpected. "We'll miss you, Porky, but you know what you want. The others will be disappointed, but I'm sure they would welcome you back if you two find that freedom isn't as great as you thought."

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Hige slightly confused and Blue just a bit relieved.

* * *

Blue thumped her head back against the metal, silent tears washing down her face. In the months that had followed, Hige had begun recovering his old spirit, but Blue still felt like she was in pieces. She could tell Hige missed his friends, but joining back up with them would mean looking and believing in Paradise. Neither of which he was ready to do.

Blue lifted her hand, wiping the tears away with it. She always did everything silently, learning to hold back any sudden rash words or feelings. For the most part, anyway.

She closed her eyes, blocking out any oncoming thoughts. She couldn't think at the moment, just wanting to be near her mate. She and Hige had a different type of relationship. It was almost like a silent one. They didn't pledge their love every night before going to sleep, but that didn't mean it wasn't there.

Movement caught Blue's eye, but she tried to remain calm. She would appear as a wolf if it was humans. And indeed, it was. A whole herd of them. One opened up the window of Blue's cage, and she was already growling, a low warning.

The man ignored her, sticking a gun through it and pulling the trigger. Blue didn't cry out as a dart hit her, but did jump up and retreat to the back of her cage in a hurry. She sniffed at the dart, trying to reach it with her teeth, but couldn't.

The little window was shut in a hurry and the man hurried to Hige's cage. Blue couldn't see him anymore, but she had a feeling the same was happening to the other wolf. Several men still mulled around outside, waiting it looked like. A few were watching Felidae, who was doing something to entice them.

Blue curled up on the hard ground, ignoring the pointless blanket, still growling with annoyance. Minutes ticked by, but the men remained. Blue was debating on whether or not to snap at them to get them to leave when an overbearing sleep fell upon her. Her head drooped to the floor and then she was gone.

* * *

Hige blinked open his eyes, trying to look around, but his vision was blurred and head swam. He dropped to the floor again, waiting for the dizziness to clear up. When it did several minutes later, he was lost. His cage looked enlarged and a familiar scent danced in front of him, enticing him. He looked around and noticed a furry shape on the far side. He rose warily, trotting over to investigate.

Within seconds, he recognized it to be Blue. He fell upon his mate, covering her with licks to wake her up. Blue opened her hazy eyes, and Hige stepped back, understanding her confusion. It took her less time to recover, but she was elated in seeing Hige again.

The two wolves sniffed at each other, exchanging scents to reestablish their hold on each other. Finally, Blue let out a low bark, a short one that showed all of her happiness at once.

Unknowning to the two, a camera stood in the corner, filming their embrace. Neither wolf could fully figure out what had happened, but knew enough to say they had been put to sleep and reunited for some cause. And before they could think about it, they were humans again, sharing each other's company in the farthest corner. The one that happened to be slightly difficult for the camera to catch the light and see.

"Something's going to happen, Blue. Or they wouldn't have done this for us." Hige broke the silence first, gently rubbing Blue's arm.

"I know. And I get the feeling they did this for themselves, not us." She confessed, not ready for the blissful moment to end.

"I've been thinking a lot these past few days, about- everything." He went on, almost as if Blue hadn't spoke. "Everything is still changing in this world. Wolves are still enemies. No matter where we go, we will still be hunted." He shook his head once. "It's times like this that I can't help but think following Paradise at least gave us a sense of purpose."

"Hige, we _do_ have a sense of purpose, but it doesn't belong to Paradise." Blue stated firmly. "That's why we left in the first place, to find it."

Hige let out a weary sigh, a hand running through his messy hair. "You're probably right. Maybe… maybe it's time to find the others. Despite what you say, I don't know what we're supposed to be doing."

A thought came to Blue, growing bigger as she thought about it. "Look around, though, Hige. We were captured with apparent ease along with common animals, but we've meet Felidae, who seems very interested and sure that wolves will be the last to survive. Maybe she is the one we have been looking for. After all, she is an unusual sight here, and seems to be very confident." Blue went on, gesturing randomly to the cat's cage. "Haven't you seen the influence she has on the humans? It's _something_."

Hige's eyes brightened up as new hope filled him. "Yeah, and maybe it's our job to deliver her and protect." He paused, letting out a breath. "We need to take her to Kiba and the others. This _is_ something, Blue, your right. None of this was on accident. It's a miracle the humans haven't taken a real interest in her."

He stood up quickly, and pulled Blue to her feet. He stared pacing, his hands feeling the walls for weak points. Blue stood there, watching him, and then her expression softened. It looked like she had said something right for once. And if it turned out to be wrong, then it wouldn't be the biggest lose. She took a couple steps forward towards the enhanced plastic wall. Her hands moved up and done the thin line that was part of the window.

Without warning, she swung her fist around and connected it with the spot. It seemed to shake for a moment, but nothing visible happened. Her eyes narrowing, Blue took a couple paces back, before dashing forward, her foot swinging up and jumped, foot first, into the plastic.

* * *

******You never go  
Your always here (suffocating me)  
Under my skin  
I cannot run away  
Fading slowly **

**I'd give it all to you**  
**Letting go of me**  
**Reaching as I fall**  
**I know it's already over now**  
**Nothing left to lose**  
**Loving you again**  
**I know it's already over, already over now**

**My best defense, running from you**  
**I can't resist, take all you want from me**  
**Breaking _slowly_…**

_

* * *

_

a/n: So there you go, another chapter. The song at the end is Already Over by Red. It sounds a lot better when you're actually listening to it. I always listen to music when I write and always imagine scenes with songs in them. I would say the start of the song would be around when Blue was remembering when she and Hige decide to leave and what not and then the last part kind of skips forward to where Blue is kicking the plastic wall (slow motion kind of thing).

_Reviews are welcome. (:_


	4. Beginning of the Culmination

**Chapter Four**

**Beginning of the Culmination**

They were out. And surprisingly, it hadn't been that easy. Well, the breaking part anyway. As soon as the hard plastic had broken, the alarms had sounded. Shrill and designed to wake up anyone within a ten mile radius. Blue did not consider any of this as she aced the landing of her jump and whipped around, running across the aisle to Felidae's cage. The young cat was watching with intense, unblinking eyes that normally made Blue recoil. This time, she just avoided looking into them to keep herself from getting distracted.

"Blue, over here!"

It was Hige. Blue turned her head as he shoved a lever down with hard force of a wolf. The system that held the cages in place began whirling, and all the doors were popped open- like a car's trunk, waiting for someone to pull it up further.

Blue grabbed the bottom of the door leading to Felidae and lifted. Man, was it heavy. Thankfully, the cat was smart enough to slip out when she had time and Blue dropped the door. Hige was already by her side, briefly checking to make sure she was okay, before he grabbed her hand and raced forward. Blue was confused for a moment, before realizing that he was following Felidae.

The feline had taken off upon her release and seemed to know exactly where to go. Blue did not have time to register this as suspicious before Hige swerved sharply and halted in a side hallway. Guards had suddenly stormed the main hallway, guns loaded and ready. Blue tensed, ready to fight if necessary, which it would be.

Frowning, Hige crouched low to the ground, his head peering cautiously around the wall. Blue watched nervously as his eyes narrowed, but he stood up.

Shots sounded from behind them now as more guards stepped for. Hige instantly grabbed Blue and tugged her forward into a run that was too hard and fast for humans.

It was only when she was jumping over their bodies, did Blue realize that the guards had been taken out. Glancing up, she noticed Felidae standing impatiently on one of the bodies farther ahead; a few drops of crimson was on her pelt. But she didn't look injured.

Blue had only a few seconds to decide to give the cat a thorough questioning when the shots came again from where they had been. She twisted her body to the side- losing contact with Hige- and narrowly missed being shot. Somehow, she had known the bullet was going to be there.

Instead of resuming her run, Blue stood her ground. She faced her chasers, her eyes narrowed and cold. Wolf blood ran thick in her at the moment.

Distantly, she could hear Hige shouting for her, but she couldn't focus on him now. Her tail was recumbent with the ground, and her lips were pulled back to reveal fine canines. The guards had stopped a dozen or less yards away; guns up and pointed- waiting for the wolf to act.

Blue felt movement by her side but didn't break her stance. It was Hige, refusing to leave her alone in the one time she chose to be stubborn. He stood back from her slightly, allowing her to be leader.

Without warning, the cerulean wolf threw her head back and howled. It was a high note at first, that fell to a deeper one. It warned the humans to keep away, or they would be killed.

But the guards did not understand the different wolf cries. All they saw was a suicidal wolf who obviously did not care if she were shot. The leader of the guards dropped his hand; the signal to fire. Dutifully, the soldiers fired their weapons without hesitation. However, before their bullets could make contact with the animals, the wolves leaped effortlessly, the blue to the left and the brown to the right, and dodged the tiny missiles.

The female was the first to strike. She ran down the wide hallway to the soldiers, her body arching as she evaded the bullets. A couple feet from her first target, she put on a burst of speed, running past him. She skidded, twisting before she came to a stop and then ran again. She leaped up, her teeth connecting with his throat before the soldier could react.

All of this happened within a few seconds.

The men had underestimated the wolves, and thought of the brown male as the biggest threat. Most of them were focusing on them. His mate swung her head around, watching him after she had released her first victim.

A couple soldiers finally noticed their fallen comrade, and whipped around towards Blue. She faced them, straightening up. Nonetheless, bullets were splayed at her before she could get going. Blue jumped back, but couldn't get entirely lucky. She winced as the pellet made contact with her leg- enough to draw blood, but the thing only nicked her.

Blue landed, stumbling heavily, yelping loudly as weight was put onto the injury. The yelp attracted the attention of the rest of the guard, who immediately put their guns to her. Blue held her ground. Hige was a good distant away, having tried to lure the men away. But he didn't miss the way Blue swung her head to the side once, catching his eye, then returning to normal.

Hige broke into a sprint, his paws silently making contact with the ground.

The soldiers now that they had the wolf cornered. One of them lazily cocked their gun at her, shooting. He missed purposefully and only point was to scare her. The wolf flattened her ears, flinching.

A few bounds later, Hige reached his first target, his hand coming down on the first human and easily slitting his throat. He winked once at Blue then moved on, jumping up as bullets showered down on him.

Their attention swayed, Blue took her turn. She tackled one to the ground, ending his life with little difficult, despite the armor that stood in the way.

There had only been six guard members to begin with, and now three were down. The remaining were backed up against a wall. Blue snarled once, no sign of injury on her. Her head was lowered, lips once more pulled back.

Only the brief screams of desperate men alerted others to their deaths. By the time they reached the respectful hallway, nothing remained but debris from all of the shots and bodies from those who made the shots.

* * *

"God, Blue, that was amazing!"

Hige still couldn't get over what she had done, and a genuine smile was on his face. Like the time when he had first encountered Blue being a wolf.

Blue fiddled with her fingers, again not sure of what to say to his compliments. She had no idea why she had stopped like that. She could have saved herself another injury. Glancing down, she sighed. Her clothes were stained crimson, but the wound had stopped bleeding a while back. Not finding anything else to do, Blue shoved her hands into her pockets, giving her a cool look.

"Thanks, Hige," she murmured.

Felidae walked beside the two wolves, completely unnerved. She was perfectly aware of much she had been acting out, and was slightly relieved that there would be no questioning of who she really was.

Felidae had cursed herself for trying to be the hero. _Should have let the wolves take care of the first bunch_, she thought stiffly. _For now, their useful for protection. Now that I know Blue is capable of fighting…_

Her tail twitching, the sand cat looked around slightly guiltily. It was partially her fault for Blue's injury. But, Felidae had only wanted to see what the wolf was capable of, and Blue could have run if she truly wanted to.

"Know of any food nearby? I think we're all getting hungry by now." It was Blue who spoke again, her voice soft, calm.

Hige looked slightly sheepish as he answered. "Actually, we're headed to a town right now. I was kind of hungry when we left, so, you know, just kind of lead everyone to the nearest town."

Blue snorted, but Felidae could see the affection clearly on her. The cat was envious of the wolves. She couldn't fathom what Blue saw in Hige, but it was their whole relationship that her stomach churning. She was the last of her kind, and would never have a mate besides a common house cat. Insulting, really.

After all six soldiers had been killed, the three had quickly fled the sight. They had broken through the main doors with apparent ease and found themselves just outside of a large city, no doubt populated by brain washed citizens. Not very eager to see what their reception would be, the three moved away- Hige carrying Felidae, against all protests, in his jaws to travel farther in less time.

Now, they walked through a thinning forest where snow still littered the ground. The stuff seemed to be everywhere.

Felidae glanced behind her again at the wolves. She had known of Hige's intentions when he led them into the forest, and despite his promises of a town, his eyes scanned the area, searching for anything that was edible.

One of the reasons Felidae was still with them. Besides protection, anyway.

The cat abstained from any conversation, thinking deeply. After a year of searching, she had found what she needed. Only one step left. Felidae knew it would be all too easy to convince the wolves to follow her, but if she used too much pressure, they would end up in a drunken state and completely useless.

One of the few side effects to her ability. If she had had hands, Felidae would have been rubbing her temples. Her ability didn't exactly have a name, and to describe it took a lengthy amount of time. In any event, it was just as unique as the wolves inhuman strength and speed or capacity to appear as humans.

In one way, Felidae was irresistible. And that wasn't to her doing. Humans, animals, anyone. They were all attracted to her. One of her lesser prowess. But the one ability that she had been focusing on her whole life to master was, as she liked to refer to it in simple terms, Persuasion.

Anything she wanted done could be, she just had to put pressure on the item in question. Once in a while, she came across just a strong willed mind, that the brain shut her out. Other times, it was still possible, but more pressure was required. More limitations were there as well. The object had to be within a few feet and be mindful of her.

Felidae swung her tail to one side, and then back. She hated those limitations. Made her feel weak. The wolves had it easy compared to her.

But Felidae's journey was almost completed. She had the necessary components and had to deliver them. Now that the time was here, Felidae disliked the idea of betraying their trust. Blue had taken an interest in her by natural accords, not because of anything Felidae had.

The cat came to a halt, feeling the path smarten up with footprints of humans. She turned, patiently waiting for the two to reach her. When they did, she spoke calmly, none of her previous thoughts contaminating her voice. "We're getting closer. The town is a small one- mostly farmers and maidens trying to make a living."

Blue and Hige exchanged a glance, nodding and chipping in minor comments of understanding. They continued on. Blue's eyes were narrowed. She couldn't figure out how the cat was capable of doing everything that she was. She obviously had some history that wouldn't be revealed anytime soon. But was the big secret?

She gave her head a slow shake, lips pressed together.

The trees gave way to a cliff, and looking over, Blue found herself staring fondly at the tiny town. Her eyes softened as memories were drilled into her head. It looked so familiar and calm down there. But it wasn't her home. And even by some extraordinary measures that it was, it still wasn't. Not with Quent, the boy, and the wife.

Blue closed her eyes, and after a while, opened them, her previous thoughts out of her mind. She turned her head, seeing Hige waiting for her a ways down. She smiled, her legs moving automatically as she needed to be by his side again.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time the three entered the town.

Hige made an excuse to wander the town alone, and left Blue and Felidae to do… well, something together. Felidae seemed to have the same idea as him and wandered off in the opposite direction, wishing Blue to have fun.

Blue was stumped. Here she was, in the second most perfect town, and she had no idea what to do. A quick look to the right revealed that she would be more than welcome to hang out in a bar. Gritting her teeth, Blue silently cursed Hige for leaving her alone in a town where anyone new was noticed immediately.

_Stupid male._

Blue again found her hands in her pockets after flipping the collar up of her jacket. She looked into each store she passed, silently considering her options.

_This looks okay… No. Perverts here too._ And farther on. _Definitely this place. I don't care who is inside._

She pushed a sparkling double door open. It was a museum. For a seemingly small town, this place was pretty high tech.

A women dressed in jeans and an official work shirt greeted her with a phony smile. Her eyes tightened in a way that said she hated her life. Blue couldn't blame her.

"Welcome to the All Around Museum, can I help you find anything?" The women spoke in a too-happy voice.

Blue read her nametag carefully before replying. It said 'Gracie Stone.' "I was wondering if there were any animal type exhibits?"

Gracie Stone with the phony smile and too-happy voice, pointed with her finger. "Yes, of course. Walk that way, take a left, and once you're past the metal area, you'll reach the animals."

Blue mumbled a quick thanks and hastened to follow the directions. She actually wasn't in much of a hurry, and paused in the gun exhibits. Her eyes found the one that had been used on her earlier today. Her eyes scanned the brief information card.

'One of the most successful weapons made by mankind. It is capable of killing anything.

The most noticeable holders are soldiers.

The plan for this marvelous weapon was first drafted thirty years ago. It was commissioned twenty five years ago.'

Blue stared in wonder at the card. It was tainted with opinions, making her a bit more suspicious. Clearly the public must fear it.

Suddenly feeling the need to move on, Blue walked swiftly away from the weapon, barely turning her head to see a man watching her. She looked forward again, her adrenaline pumping already.

She moved with intent now. Leaving the weaponry, the last section of the metal area, behind and was overcome by the animal area. She went through with a purpose, glancing at the information hopefully, then without any regard to what it was about.

Blue was glancing around, not necessarily forward, when she was startled about what was just in front of her, quickly taking a step back.

It was wolf. It's ears were back, snarling at some unknown force. It's stance also read attack, Blue was reaching a hand forward to touch the body when a voice came from behind her.

"Isn't it a beauty? We have Jagura to thank for donating this one." The man laughed much too loudly. Blue swung herself around to face him. It was the one who had been previously watching her.

"Jagura? How would she have wolves? They've been extinct."

Playing stupid was amazingly easy for her.

"Yeah, I thought so too once. But this beast is in prime condition." The man stepped forward next to Blue, clapping his hand down on the wolf's muzzle. "I take it you're new here?" She nodded. "Well then, my name is Jeb. I own this museum. It's because of the funding I get that entry is free." He chuckled again.

Blue smiled weakly, her stomach in knots. If she blew with him, it would mean instant retreat.

Jeb went on, apparently unaware of her unease. "So. Anything in particular you want to see? I got backstage access to everything."

Blue swiftly declined him. "No thanks. I can only stay for five more minutes. Can't keep the boyfriend waiting, you know?"

God, it was pretty pathetic how disappointed Jeb looked at 'boyfriend.' He mumbled something unintelligible and shuffled off in a hurry.

Blue leaned forward, her head bent as she read the information card on wolves. It too, was brief.

'Previously believed to be extinct, wolves are now traveling the land.

Not much is known, but scientists are working with these creatures to discover their secrets.'

Not even a scrape of fact was on the information card. Blue felt proud that apparently the humans were clueless.

She checked a clock that was above a monkey, frozen mid-swing forever. Blue tried to ignore. She had only a few minutes left. She didn't doubt that Jeb was still watching her. The man was big and beefy- he could do serious damage. Blue didn't really want to kill him and disrupt this peaceful town.

Again, she moved with purpose towards the cat section. Surprisingly, it was fairly large and organized. There was even a catalog. Blue scanned through the book and moved away, finding exactly what she needed. Nestled between an African wildcat and Chinese mountain cat, was a picture of a Sand Dune Cat.

Blue gripped the railing that kept her from getting closer. Her finger ran over the smooth surface of the card of information, and she read through it several times.

'Virtually extinct, the Sand Dune Cat was once highly respected.

Traveling or owning of them always brought luck to people.

It is said that such cats had special abilities that made them unstoppable, but that has yet to be proven.

Legends speak of a Sand Cat that will stop further destruction of the planet and open up a new

realm for only the purest of people to live in. This legend has also yet to been proven,

but more can be learned in the Book of the Sun, which has been banned.

More information coming soon.'


	5. Continued Deception

**Chapter Five**

**Continued Deception**

After escaping from the museum, Blue had wandered around town for a while, before sinking into a conveniently placed bench. She reached up with a hand and kneaded her forward, information and ideas swimming through her head. She had no idea what to think of Felidae know. She knew the little cat had always been something else, but it was different to see it writing. And what was this Book of the Sun? She had only ever heard of the Book of the Moon, and that was rare enough. To find it's paradox would be highly impossible and improbable.

She had to find answers. Clearly, Felidae wasn't as uneducated as she first appeared. Blue clenched her hand into a fist, ready to leap up when she felt a presence beside her. She tilted her eyes to the other side of the bench and bite her lip to keep from shouting. Jeb was back.

"So, where's the boyfriend?" He asked casually, turning to Blue. She could smell the beer on his breath and recoiled.

"Late. But I'm used to it." She tossed back at him. "Probably got the time or place mixed up. He does that frequently." _Come on, Hige! Now would be a _perfect _time to drop in._

"That's a shame," he replied, patting her arm. "He should be more grateful of you." He leaned in closer, and Blue shuddered visibly. "I would certainly be faithful."

Her eyes cold and dark, Blue stood up coolly and made to walk away. "Yeah, good luck with that." She was to start walking when Jeb latched a chubby hand onto her arm. She whipped around, throwing it off and startling the drunken man.

"Hey now, Honey, no need to get feisty." He said, his words slurred.

Blue narrowed her eyes, trying to keep the wolf in her back. It was a losing battle, and she would have been all too glad to let it go, but not yet. This town seemed to have too much information on Felidae's type, and she needed to find out all of it.

"Look, I appreciate your kindness to strangers, but I have things to do and people to be with." She said shortly, her hand still in a fist. "This would be a lot easier on you if you walk away now."

Jeb merely staggered to his feet and groped at Blue, who retreated several more steps. "Don't be like that now."

Blue swung her hand up in a swift movement, breaking Jeb's nose, and sending him flying backwards on the sidewalk. Already, blood gushed out. Without waiting for the retort, Blue took of running. She turned sharply whenever she saw a corner, dropping to a walk when she arrived back in the main part of town. She didn't pay attention to anything in particular, just pulled a door open and walked in.

It was a library. A bit too convenient, really.

"Excuse me, Miss, but we close in ten minutes." It was a local man, chewing noisily on gum and dressed in a collared shirt and pants.

Blue smiled sweetly, "I only need five." She walked on before he could protest.

There were a couple of high tech computers bunched in the corner, but she didn't approach them. She had no idea how to use them, and didn't care much to learn. She went to the nearest shelf, running a finger over the volumes before moving on.

The only thing she knew was that the Book of the Sun was banished, yet the museum seemed to know what was in it. Surely that meant the library would have something on it. Blue glanced over the names of titles absentmindedly, not really expecting to find anything. That is, until one title caught her eye.

She reached a hand out and removed it from it's spot, wiping the dust from the outside cover. The volume was all black, hardback, and the title was printed only on the spine. It was called "_What You Don't Know About the End of the World_".

Blue flipped open the thick book, but found no table of contents. She skimmed through pages, but there was no time left. The library was closing now. Blue glanced around her, checking to see if anyone was watching, before slipping the book inside her jacket.

She made it through the door before she heard the inevitable cry. "Hey! Come back here!" She took off running, again turning corners when ever one popped up in front of her, before sliding out of a back alley. She was getting pretty good at this.

&!--

Stuffing a generous hotdog into his mouth, Hige savored the tastes that filled his mouth. One bite and the thing was gone. He held two others in his left hand though, and prepared to eat another as his stomach growled pompously.

Hige himself was walking down a sidewalk, leaving behind a confused hotdog vender who had just noticed three of his links missing, and three buns gone from an unopened bag. Cars drove by, ignoring the 'innocent' bystander walking on the path.

The wolf felt bad for leaving his mate behind, but he had been hungry beyond belief and didn't want Blue to see his atrocious eating habits. The thought was a bit amusing, but certain things had grown on him after traveling with a she-wolf, instead of only males.

Hige rounded the corner, not particularly worried about finding Blue, when he saw the cat, Felidae. He frowned, the half the dog hanging from his mouth, the other still in his hand. The cat was actually in a store directly in front of Hige, which he could easily see through, and he approached it, peering into the window. He was actually down on his knees, leaning in from the side so that anyone from the inside would barely be able to see him.

Past the glass, Felidae was standing on a check-out counter, conversing with a store clerk. She looked bold and confident, and Hige decided to risk entering the store to hear what she had to say. Luckily, Felidae had her back to the door, and the clerk barely inclined Hige's presence. The wolf wandered purposefully off to a shelf, pretending to browse about the contents (cans of spam and pickles in jars), while casting his ears over to the private conversation.

"Surely you can do me this one favor? After all the times I've filched for you, I deserve one thing in return." Felidae growled, but her was a whisper, and perhaps all the more menacing.

The store clerk was shaking his head before she had finished. "I will not be one to deny all that you have brought to me, but this is… out of proportion. Isn't there anything else? Anything at all?"

"No." The reply was quick, a snarl.

"I just can't, not this time. It's illegal and not worth the punishments." The clerk's voice trembled, but he pushed on. "Please understand, Accalia."

Hige froze. What had that guy just called Felidae? He waited for the cat to snap at him that her name was Felidae, but it never came. Instead, there was hesitation.

"You know me well." Though he couldn't see them, her words sounded submissive to Hige's ears. "Now I need you to understand for me."

The store clerk hesitated as well, surprised by the new attitude she took. "Very well. I-I have it buried outside. I was fearful of being caught and forced the memory out. Your presence has brought it back. Now follow these instructions carefully. Fetch the book in the fading light; the town will have their monthly meeting at that time."

The door opened with a soft ding and then it was silent. Hige grabbed an item at random, coming up to the store clerk who was now sweating furiously. He held up the can of olives to show the clerk. "Does this come in any other brand?"

"That is the only one we serve here," the man replied coldly, waving his hand to the door. "If all you are buying is olives, then I need you to leave. It's closing time."

It was indeed quite dark outside. Hige dropped the olives on the counter, exiting without another word. Now would probably be a good time to find Blue anyway. He pushed the door open, wondering about the name Accalia when he remembered that it meant 'wolf.' But, how had he known that?

"Hige! Thank God I found you." He had barely taken a couple steps when he heard the familiar voice. He spun around, a grin on his face. He was surprised when she nearly plowed him over in an attempt to hug him.

"Anything wrong, Blue?" He asked, pulling back slightly so he could see her more clearly.

Blue cleared her throat, her grip still taunt. "Just heard a few things that weren't pleasing. It's about-" She stopped sharply, untangling herself and stepping back. Hige managed to throw her a confused look before he saw what had made her stop.

"You guys don't to quit on my behalf." It was Felidae, squeezing between them and grinning up at the wolves. "Though if you wouldn't mind, some food would be appreciated."

It was difficult for Hige to look back at the cat without glaring, and she seemed to sense this, for her own eyes became guarded. "I could catch us a rabbit a few miles out." He licked his lips, looking inquiring at Blue. "Deer even. I thought I scented some coming in."

Blue nodded distractedly. "Sounds good. Next time you can teach me." She smiled, but it looked miserable on her. Hige regarded her carefully, then shrugged once himself.

"Let's go then." He seized Blue by the hand, tugging her forward next to him. She obliged easily, and before long, Hige had his arm wrapped easily around her waist, and she around his. Felidae was padding around up ahead, pretending to be a stray and not care about anything. Neither Hige nor Blue were fooled.

&!--

It was closing in on dawn by the time a kill had been made and eaten. The two wolves had tracked a herd of deer for about five miles before finding an injured female with a broken leg. They felled her easily, as she had no antlers to defend herself with. Blue had felt the greatest joy possible as she brought down the animal. She had never hunted in the formality of a wolf before, and Hige had insisted that she get a chance to experience the thrill. She had been doubtful, but her instincts pulled her into the hunt and soon, she had become part of it.

But the wolf had not ended there in her. The wolves fell upon the meat with a ravenous blood lust; gnawing away the skin to reveal delicious meat. Bellies distended, they now relaxed in the rising sun's path, laid out on the ground.

Felidae was now eating her own share of the deer. For even she knew not to interfere with an eating wolf. She picked her way through the carcass, eating only the softest parts. By the time she had finished and the scavengers descended, her wolves were dozing lightly, their heads bent low to the ground as they pressed against each other. Envy tugged at Felidae's coat, for, even if she came out alive, there would be no chance of finding a mate. She truly was the last of her kind.

The small cat circled a few times before laying down herself, her head rested gently on her paws and tail covering her nose. She had to get back into the town that night. But the wolves wouldn't have any reason to, and if Felidae snuck off, there was a chance she wouldn't be able to catch up.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, forgetting herself for a moment as she entered the world of her mind.

&!--

It was early afternoon by the time the two hunters rose. They greeted each other in the traditional way, sniffing and licking the other's muzzle; a lot had happened yesterday, but it had seemed to span several days. Hige and Blue had been reunited for the first time in a couple days, only to break out then and fight off several soldiers. From there, they had come across a town, each discovering his own secret.

Even though they had rested for several hours, Blue still felt heavy with tiredness. She nibbled at her paws, trying to make them less sore and lighter. It was unusual, but after spending most of the night like a true wolf, she enjoyed living and thinking like one now. The idea of being human sounded strange.

For the first time, Blue honestly wondered if she ever had a chance to start a genuine pack with Hige. Just the two of them until Blue gave birth to pups…

The idea faded from her mind, though. She had no idea how to raise pups or if it was even possible to have them. It was dangerous for wolves just now and not the time for new mothers to emerge. Even so, the thought of never going anywhere saddened her.

"Blue," Hige began, swinging his head around, "where is Felidae?"

Blue, too, swung her head around from side to side in search of the cat, but couldn't find her. Blue frowned, taking the form of man. She reached in her coat and removed the lumpy shape- the book. She flipped to the page of contents as Hige continued his surveillance. She had to flip to almost the very last chapter, which was entitled, rather bluntly, "The Hidden Book of the Sun".

It was short, one page chapter, but still contained more information than she could ever hope for. The chapter began as so:

'_As previously mentioned in chapter two, the Book of the Sun coexists with the Book of the Moon, but is less known of. In olden times, anyone found with the book was burned at the stake along with the item in question. Soon, no more of these accursed books existed. Or so the government believed._

_Extensive studies have found out the basis of the Book, but scantly so. In the Book, a prophecy is foretold; in essence, what happens after the opening of Paradise by the wolves (see chapter five). No one knows of the process of opening Paradise works, but the book takes up where the empty pages leave of. Now there is the process of purifying Paradise so that it may never be corrupt and tainted like current society._

_Further analysis has revealed that the prophecy revolves around too subjects. Only one is currently known by man- a Sand Dune Cat. Upon hearing this, many scientists believed the idea of a perfect Paradise is impossible, as the Sand Cat is extinct. While it hasn't been proven, the second subject is believed to be a wolf. The only being able to open Paradise and possibly lead outsiders to the inside._

_Barely any of this information is veritable and follow-up studies are still being made. Only the future can know if a perfect Paradise truly exists._'

Blue stopped reading. Quietly, she snapped the book shut, nearly dropping it in her loose grip. She had no idea whether to believe this or not; the book itself said the information wasn't veritable. But what if it did happen to be true?

Slowly, she titled her head up, shielding her eyes from the sun. She could make out Hige's figure in front of her, still perplexed at the missing link in their group of now two. He noticed Blue watching him and held up his hands in a shrug. He trotted back to her, and she had time to hide the book and appear normal before he stopped.

"I have an idea of where she may be if it isn't here." He began, almost reluctantly. "I think she went back into town."

"Town? But, why?"

"Not sure, but I came across her scent and went right back to where we came from yesterday." He looked a bit sheepish now. "I was checking her sleeping spot and the scent seems relatively fresh. My guess is she left not even an hour ago."

Blue massaged her temples with her fingers, but nodded. "Alright, let's go then. We have no other leads, and something tells me she might need me- _us_." A bitter note entered her voice, and Hige looked at her curiously. "I can tell you what I found out yesterday along the way."

&!--

Felidae certainly wasn't doing poorly on her own. It had taken some persuasion, but she was riding safely on a buck in the direction of town. She had over done it a bit, for his quick steps and bounds were too choppy and off beat. Felidae growled in frustration at herself; the deer was intoxicated.

_Damn it! Don't I ever get a break?_ Her claws dug into the tough skin beneath her and drops of blood welled up underneath her paws. Growling again, she impatiently wiped the scarlet tears on the buck's pelt and added more pressure on him to ignore the sudden pain.

Felidae was getting cocky with her powers. She was over doing it more and more frequently. It really shouldn't have come as a surprise that nothing was working out.

Earlier, the cat had woken up, dismayed by the position of the sun. Her dream had been confusing and nothing seemed to make sense now that she was awake. Barely a few minutes of her wakening, she had decided to risk leaving the wolves. She could not afford to miss this opportunity and to believe that the wolves would follow her; if the prophecy was correct and if she had guessed right, they would.

&!--

"Accalia? But that means-"

"Wolf, I know."

As they had run, following the scent of the cat, Hige and Blue had exchanged their stories; Blue leaving out a few details at the expense of Hige. Both know knew everything that was happening now, and for that, they were even more confused. In a way, everything made sense, which was exactly why it was baffling.

Blue had fallen silent upon the completion of Hige's story, but more for her benefit in thinking straightly.

"I feel like my head is going to explode, Hige." She growled, wincing at a stab of pain through her head.

Hige glanced over at her, smiling grimly. "Yeah, I would know the feeling."

Blue turned her eyes towards the missing collar, wincing even more at the bitter memory. She had honestly thought Hige was going to die of that chronic headache. But Hige was already moving on to the issue at hand.

"I still don't get why we are the ones to be a part of this. The Book of the Sun…. it doesn't ring a bell in me at all. I feel as though I should know the name, but nothing." He shook his wolfish head impatiently. "Damn."

"It's the same with me and the name Accalia. I _should_ know what the hell it means besides 'wolf' but nothing comes to mind. I wish I could say you misheard, or Felidae was trying to cover up for herself, but I can't." Blue replied, unable to offer comfort to Hige or herself.

They ran on in silence, too distracted to notice that a deer had run the same trail as Felidae; the same swerves, steps, jumps. Finally, they stopped at the edge of the forest, a mile out from town. Felidae's scent was now gone. Blue looked with her eyes for any signs, while Hige did so with his nose. Neither had any luck.

"Maybe she doesn't want to be found. She might have known we would chase after her." Blue tried to reason.

Hige walked back over to her, taking slow, careful steps. "Either way, once we find her we have a few questions that need to be answered." His amber eyes glittered uncharacteristically coldly.

It was leaning towards evening now, and little did they know that Felidae was preparing to find the answer to everyone's questions, hers included. For she was going to unbury the Book of the Sun.


	6. The Third Temptation

**Chapter Six**

**The Third Temptation**

Felidae, needless to say, was in deep shit. Figuratively. At least, she hoped so for her sake. She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she failed to notice the oncoming _distraction_. A bear. Of all things. There were countless tales of bears as the bad guys, always beaten off at the last second. Felidae had felt sorry for the creatures, and angry at the ones who had threatened their territory but still won the battle in the end. It looked like she would be the winner, predictably, but not without consequences.

The cat had wandered into the female's territory, still upon the deer, and failed to notice the warning signs. Roaring loudly, the bear had crashed through the forest, startling the buck so that he threw Felidae and made a run for it. Felidae may have been small, but she was still a predator and a threat in the eyes of the bear. The embarrassing part was that the bear had every right to kill her too.

But now, two wolves stood in front of Felidae, their heads lowered as they growled. Hige sported scratch marks on his side, and Blue had actual wounds on one of her legs where the bear's paw had clipped her. Both wolves still stood strong, refusing to give up what was there's, as any other wolf would have done.

The bear was on all fours, her tiny black eyes surveying her opponents as she planned her next move. Too most, bears appeared clumsy and bulky, which was a bit true. But given the chance to land a blow, and they would. And it wouldn't be one that you could walk away from.

Despite all this, Felidae felt a growing desperation to get away from her protectors and back to the town. It was of the utmost importance that she get their time. Besides, if Hige and Blue had followed her this far and were still defending her, then surely they would keep following her? Even if she did run off again…

The bear roared in frustration, her claws shoving into the ground and she took off in a spurt of speed. Blue felt her eyes widen and couldn't hold back the tremble that escaped through her body. While wolves were fierce, bears won in sheer size and ability to withstand hits. Blue understood that, and the wolf in her willed her to save herself. For in all truth, wolves would normally look out for only themselves in true times of desperation.

It was because of this natural driven instinct that Blue dove to the left. Hige, having been unaware of his mate's worry, looked up in astonishment. Too late. The bear threw herself at the distracted wolf, bringing her massive paw down on his head. Hige fell to the ground, a loud shrill of pain coming from him. Not far away, Blue froze, startled as she was brought back into reality. She pivoted around, tearing back to the fight that was rapidly being decided.

When she was close enough, she leaped, landing accurately on the bear, who had been distracted. She locked her jaws on the bear's thick coat and held on tight. Naturally, the bear reared back in surprise, balancing on it's hind limbs for a moment. But Blue was persistent now that she had herself calmed. However, she did snarl in frustration. If she wanted to do any real damage, she had to hit home at the throat.

There was a reason other predators avoided battles or disputes with bears. For, despite appearances, they were fairly intelligent enough beasts. Intelligent enough to understand that to remove the wolf from it's back, it had to ram itself into a tree. The gray wolf slumped to the ground, barely suppressing a whimper. Her head was lowered to her chest as she appeared to be sitting down like a human did. With a startled whine, she opened her eyes. Her ears pressed to the base of her skull in fear as the bear now towered over her, about to come down and slam into her.

Blue scrambled to get out of the way, but couldn't. Her foot was trapped in the roots of the tree. Her body pressed to the ground, her eyes closing quickly as impact came down on her.

A good distance away, Felidae was moving determinedly, if not a bit raggedly, through the forest, almost through, when she heard it. It was a wolf's cry. So high-pitched and full of pain that Felidae nearly collapsed at the wave of emotion. It was staggering when she thought of what a wolf could do. Her eyes narrowed in slits, she trudged forward, feeling God-awful for abandoning her friends.

* * *

It was late afternoon when either wolf could be roused, having passed the worst of the danger. Panting heavily, Blue tugged pointlessly at where she was caught, but to her surprise, she slipped free. She stumbled, sinking to the ground and deciding to remain there, just wanting to sleep. Not far away, Hige barely had his own yellow eyes open, but his breathing was labored as his chest rose and fell too fast. Each pound of his heart was a pound in his head. He could remember very little of the fight except that the bear had gone in for an attack and he had been distracted by Blue running away. A slight growl rose in his throat at the thought, but was quieted when the effort proved to be too much.

Blue had sustained heavy blows to her side in addition to previous wounds there. One could have barely seen her fur through the pool of blood that had surrounded her. But now the blood was dried, and wound beginning to heal steadily. Hige had a nearly fractured skull from the sheer impact of the bear. The side of his face had deep gouge marks that would remain for several weeks.

But the full moon was out tonight, and they were in luck.

Several more minutes passed by, and gradually, the wolves were able to move again. Hige kept his head low as he sat on his haunches, for a raging headache had settled there. Blue stayed laid out on her side that wasn't as cut up, but she was more alert, her eyes flickering around the forest for signs of… anything.

"Where is Felidae?"

Hige started to bring his head up to answer her, but lowered it again at the sudden dizziness. He shook his head once, unable to speak just yet. Blue let out a heavy sigh and dropped her head back on the ground, calming herself. But as soon as she closed her eyes, all she could see was the bear looming over her, about to attack. With a start, Blue jerked up.

Hige's ears flicked forward, indicating that he had seen her. With a low moan, he pulled himself slowly to his paws, practically crawling to get over to Blue. He laid down beside her, his head resting on her back.

"I don't… understand anymore. We saved Felidae, but she leaves again." Blue's words were broken as she tried to speak, trying to ignore the intense thirst that had overtaken her.

Hige let out a pointless sigh, his yellow eyes finding Blue's. "I know as much as you."

Suddenly, they were humans, laying on their sides on the hard ground. Hige wrapped one arm around Blue's waist- the only reassurance he could offer.

"We have to find her. Again."

Blue didn't react with surprise to his words, just took his hand in her own and squeezing it lightly. "I know. Thank God we heal fast."

Hige snorted. He couldn't help it, in all honestly, that just sounded hilarious to him. "Yeah, I mean, it's not like we can catch a break or anything." Chuckling still, he was able to push himself up to a sitting position with Blue close behind. Amazingly, both were already feeling better.

"I can't believe she would run off again." He ruffled his hair distractedly. "The one thing they don't train you for is a bear attack."

Blue had fallen silent, her sapphire orbs thoughtful. "You know… I think it's time that we found some old friends."

Her words were enough to jerk Hige awake and he looked at Blue in astonishment. "But- why?"

"I'm not completely sure, honestly." She shrugged sheepishly. "I just have this feeling that protecting, or I guess _watching_, Felidae is going to take some work." She rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out the feeling that was growing bigger in her.

Hige still had a look of bewilderment on him, but then shook his head, wincing a bit at the remaining headache that was suddenly inflamed again. "No. That's not it. You're believing in Paradise."

Once the words were spoken, it was obvious they were true. "Hige, I'm sorry. I don't know where this came from. But right now it feels like the appropriate thing to do. I never truly understood or believed it before, but it makes sense now. All of it."

Hige's hand contracted, and he smiled softly. A light breeze ruffled the two wolves, but felt amazing on their skin. "Don't be sorry. Never be sorry for believing in something. I may not feel- the same, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon you." He stood up, pulling her up with him.

Blue's eyes never strayed from his as she rose, and her gaze was filled with overwhelming love. Hige returned it with a smirk that stated he was pleased with himself. But he couldn't keep it up and gave a low snort.

"Come on; we have a cat to catch."

* * *

By the time the sun started to dwindle, Felidae was located securely just outside of town. There were many more people walking along the sidewalks or in their cars, but this time with the intent of a single spot. The cat smiled grimly as her time arrived. She pressed herself to the shadows as humans passed by the alley she took refuge in.

As she waited for the appropriate moment, her thoughts drifted back to the wolves. It had been two days since their escape and she was sure that they would get more trouble from those people wherever they went after this. All in all, they had known her for almost a week. It wasn't usual that bonds formed that often, but that was how Felidae was able to know that they were the right ones. Well, one of them at least. She still wasn't completely positive on the other.

A thrill went through her as she thought of how truly close she was to finishing. She would finally be able to live her own life, settle down and make a family. A sudden hush over the town indicated that her time was now. She stepped from her hiding place, keeping low to the ground and sticking close to the walls. Her body twisted gracefully as she turned corners. She paused briefly, tilting her head back. In front of her, was a brightly lightened community hall. Cars filled up every space possible in the parking lot, and a couple people were still just walking in. Her hackles rose, and she couldn't explain why. Ducking her head down, Felidae plunged on.

Her steps were light, bringing her to the desired destination. She could barely contain her excitement, only just remembering to stay silent. That was the first lesson taught, and it served well many times. In her mind, Felidae traced through the instructions. First step was completed: find the place. Second step: get to the back.

The place in question was a rundown, abandoned warehouse that used to store and package furniture. It hadn't been touched since the twenty-first century, so the people liked to joke, and was due to be torn down any day. As soon as the permit came in, anyway. Getting in wasn't actually a challenge, but Felidae was cautious nonetheless. That was lesson two… or three.

Felidae crouched low to the ground, darting her eyes around. The place was clear. She began her slow ascend, stepping over bits of discarded trash. She slid between two sets of cylinder blocks, her fur getting snagged a bit on the edges. It was completely dark, giving the place, what the humans would call, a haunted appearance. Felidae gave a mute thanks that she wasn't as silly as them. The place was empty, that was that.

Just a fence stood in the cat's way now. Felidae surveyed her options- climbing over or under. If she went over, the thing could collapse on her from old age, but going under could be just as worse. She decided with over, taking but a few steps before making the effortless leap.

Her paws landed perfectly on the cold metal, her tail out behind her for balance. The fence itself shuddered from the unexpected weight, but held. Felidae narrowed her eyes, pleased. She lifted her head and plodded along the line of the fence, taking care not to slip. One leap and she was on the dry ground in. This time, on the inside.

The rest was now up to her. It was a dog's job- digging up a yard to find a book. Blue had no idea where it could possibly be and recalled all the information she had for any hints.

_I wish for this night-time to last for a darkness around me - shores of a solar sea._

Felidae shivered as the words spoke in her mind. But… how could that even be possible? Her eyes lifted up, finding the night sky. It was a full moon. Chills ran down the cat's spine and she had wistful thoughts of being with the wolves, until the thought slid away. She lowered her head, eyes shifting around for what she was knew would be there. And it was.

A sole patch of soil, lit up by the moon. It was too perfect for words. Felidae felt as though she could barely breathe, walking slowly over to the spot. She stuck one paw out, pulling back and flinging dirt behind her. She repeated the action. Faster and faster. God, it was just addicting. No wonder those stupid dogs always did it.

Felidae blinked a couple times, surprised and realized what lay in front of her. She hoped down into the hole that was probably only half a foot deep. The soil was so loose it had been easy to dig. But now, in front of her, was the key. The key to everything.

The Book of the Sun.

* * *

Dawn was emerging for the two wolves but they had had no luck in finding their little furry friend. Tensions were rising, and with some work, they kept from snapping at each other. Even after everything they had been through, they were still wolves.

Finally, Blue nearly lost control, snapping loudly at Hige and stomping away to slow trickling stream and drinking ravenously from it. Hige, being smarter than the average bear, gave her a wide berth to cool down. And indeed, in a few minutes, Blue had resumed her normal stature. She trotted over to the other wolf, nudging his muzzle affectionately. He couldn't resist her adoration and returned it in a like manner.

Then, they were two humans, leaned against a tree and each other, contemplating what to do next.

"It's been nearly a day." Blue spoke softly, her deep eyes troubled.

Hige rubbed his eyes with one hand. "I know, but not even I can pick up her scent. That blow has messed with my head."

Blue blinked once in sympathy, the deep cuts now fading scars on his face. "I'm sorry. I've never been in that type of situation before."

Hige merely squeezed her hand. "I don't blame you for that, Blue."

They relaxed for a couple moments, not thinking of anything particular except what was around them. Hige was the first to react.

"It's _her_." He growled.

Blue didn't even have to ask who was 'her' because Felidae stepped in front of them just then. Both wolves were, well, wolves again, their head lowered as they waited for whatever excuse would come now.

"We can leave now. The town sucks now that I've-I've taken away their prized… possession." She smiled weakly, and it faded away just as fast. Blue and Hige remained unmoved.

"We stay up all night, and you give us that crappy excuse!" Hige barked the last words. "You better get your story straight, _Accalia_."

Felidae flinched, muttering to herself that sounded like "fine" before speaking more clearly. Reluctance was apparent on her face. "I guess you found my true name. The reason I kept it hidden is because it holds a sort of, I don't know, power over me. It's hard for me to ignore the person-animal-when they use it.

"The reason I left-"

"Again," Blue put in.

"-is because I had to return to the town and pick up a little something. I couldn't tell you anything until I was certain, and I am now. With… the Book of the Sun." She hesitated, swallowing. "But, I am certain now that Blue is the one who will save us after Paradise. Help me, anyway."

It took a moment to process this, but Blue was in a fury when she did. Her form was unstable, slipping between wolf and human.

"Bastard! You were tricking us the whole time, everything you told us _was a lie_!" She snarled, her voice getting louder as she went on. Her hand clenched into a fist as she glared at Felidae.

"Blue, please calm down. I can explain!" She added hastily. "I had to be sure that you were the one; I'm not allowed to make mistakes in this. Besides," the cat continued, "you can't kill me. You _are_ the one. You belong in my destiny."

Blue took a step forward. "Would you like to test that theory?"

"Destiny is everything, Blue. No one can stop or change it. We just like to think that we can make decisions. So go ahead, try and kill me. You can't."

Felidae stepped forward, and the she-wolf watched in satisfaction as her legs trembled slightly. She tensed, about to tare over to the cat and rip her up when a hand caught her wrist.

"Hige?"

Hige watched her with calm, amber eyes, but his firm grip held. "Don't do it. It isn't you." He shook his head once. "Besides, I think she's telling us the truth. Felidae has seen what we are capable of, she wouldn't fool around with this."

Blue flipped her head back over to Felidae, pointing with her free hand. "You better start telling the truth, then."

The cat sat down. "The Book of the Sun. It says that once Paradise is founded, there is only one being who can save it. But she must be lead by a loyal companion; one who will not strife or tarry from the path."

Blue narrowed her eyes, but her harsh stance slackened as she thought it through.

"From birth, I was assigned to open the Perfect World."

The effect of her words were imminent in Hige, as he nearly fell over in surprise. "P-perfect World? No one is crazy enough to look for it!"

"You don't look for this World," Felidae retorted hotly. "Paradise can be opened at any time, but it will always remain imperfect. Only I can make it Perfect. Thus, the Perfect World." She started pacing. "But it's impossible for me to get in by own means. I had to find a 'companion,' the only one who could open Paradise. A wolf."

Now it was Blue's turn to shake her head, her eyes downcast. "You've got the wrong wolf then. I can't open Paradise, and I probably couldn't in. I'm a half breed."

"The only reason you couldn't open Paradise before was because I wasn't with you. Anyway, once Paradise is opened, the wolf is to lead me in, then watch my back as I did what was necessary."

Hige spoke first as the minutes began ticking by. "That's it, then? You are the one to bring about the Perfect World. The one where man and wolf live equally." He ran a hand through his bushy hair. "Holy crap."

"That's one way of putting it," the cat replied dryly. "Blue. I need you. Will you help me?"

Blue was silent, her eyes staring miserably at the ground. Finally, she lifted her head and replied. "Yes."

Felidae nodded once in satisfaction. "Then, I think we can agree on our next path-"

"Wait." Hige held up his hand to interrupt her. "I want to know why the Book of the Sun is so _un_heard of."

The cat gave him a peculiar look, her eyes narrowed, the nodded again with a sigh. "Long before anyone can even dare to remember, the Book of the Sun and the Book of the Moon was brought on the lands. Only those rich enough could afford to even, well, read it, forget about owning a copy. There were only two of each in existent.

"Anyway, it's been said that early on in their existent. a poet got her hands on both books for but a full day, sunrise to sunset. She was so intrigued and overwhelmed by them that it was impossible to write about it in poetry. She feared what would happen if society was able to read all of the content in the books and in her fear, hid them where no one could find out. Before she could be found and arrested for stealing the books, she wrote two poems. One was called Sleeping Sun, and the other, White Night Fantasy. Both poems were presumed to be lost when her cottage was raided."

Felidae paused in her tale, meeting the eyes of both wolves. "It wasn't until her home was scavenged by passerbys that the poems were discovered. The people knew nothing of reading and sold the poems for a pittance. The new owner cast them aside as urgent news took away his attention. Time passed by. The poems were passed from generation to generation and held little meaning to the people who read them. Finally, one day, a young girl had just discovered, by mistake, what the Book of the Moon was. She remembered reading a poem entitled White Night Fantasy and reread it. Suddenly the poem wasn't so meaningless.

"In each poem, was information on where to find one of the books, plus a little bit about what was inside. But the true meanings of the poems were so cleverly hidden, that only a few parts are actual information."

Blue spoke first. "What was the clue in Sleeping Sun?"

Felidae blinked and recited two lines in the poem:

'_Wistful oceans calm and red_

_Ardent caresses laid to rest_'

"I had to find a sea that shown red, with fierce waves that were calmed every day and violent again at night. But, by the time I found it, the book was gone. A note was left behind. And that's where the town came in."

Hige was already nodding as everything came together. "Regardless of how much Blue can do," he shot her a grin, "we still need to find the other wolves."

"What do you-?" Felidae began, but was again cut off by Blue.

"The other wolves we traveled with. They are the ones to open Paradise. Regardless of what you say, I have no knowledge on how to do that." Her voice turned oddly flat. "We will be finding them."

Felidae switched to wary, and nodded once. "Alright. I don't doubt that we will need outside help." She turned to walk away. "But one of you has to carry the Book. It was a complete bitch to even make it this far…"

* * *

_a/n: The "poems" are actually songs, both by Nightwish. And they belong to Nightwish, not me. Oh, and the title of this chapter was inspired by the song The Third Temptation of Paris by Alesana._


	7. Lost and Found

**Chapter Seven**

**Lost and Found**

With little left to do, the trio consisting of wolves and a small wildcat set out in which ever direction sounded right. That is, where they had left them months ago. Admittedly, their time apart was nearing to over half a year and Hige and Blue highly doubted they would be in the same spot. Or if Cheza could have survived that long.

But the journey wasn't easy. For one thing, Felidae had much shorter legs and less stamina. Then there was the deal with the Book. After a few steps were taken, it immediately presented a problem. Blue was all for just leaving the thing behind, but Felidae flat out refused. A day passed. Hige, growing tired of the bickering, opted to take the Book of the Sun, and did. In order to travel farther, Blue was grudgingly forced to carry Felidae. But with her teeth.

All in all, it was very unusual, and a rather hard scene to describe if someone saw it.

Nonetheless, a month passed in this manner. They went on instinct and Hige's nose. One night, they were trekking through a pine forest when Hige stopped. Snow fell between the perfectly laid out trees, and the moon, already waning from its fullest, was the only source of light.

Blue dropped Felidae to the ground, and the cat landed heavily with a protest. Blue shifted, but didn't say anything. She could be rough, but not to friends. She turned her muzzle to Hige instead. "Why have you stopped?"

Hige had also dropped his own possession, but couldn't stand still. He was pacing in between two trees, sniffing the air as his feet crunched in the unbroken crust of snow. "Not sure, but damn, this place seems familiar."

Blue tilted her head to the side, sniffing lightly at the air as well, detecting nothing except the usual fresh scents of nature. She looked back at the other wolf, her blue eyes puzzled. Hige could only shake his head, sighing loudly.

"We might as well rest here tonight. Felidae looks like she's about to collapse." He nodded to the cat, who had her eyes closed and kept stumbling and catching herself when she was nearly asleep.

Blue nodded reluctantly, not really wanting to give up. Wolves were very nearly made for long distance travels, but it took a toll on them when they had… extra cargo. Plus, sand cats and books weren't made for traveling. With a low woof, Blue lifted her head to the sky, staring intently at the fading moon as if it held the world's answers. She coughed out a breath and, lowering her head, and settling herself on the ground. Her bright eyes closed just as she flicked her tail over her nose.

* * *

"Come on, Blue. We have to find those wolves."

The wolf-dog lifted her head, swinging it around and facing an old human male. Excitement ran through her as she remembered who this was, and she jumped up eagerly, her tail wagging fiercely. Quent gave a small smirk, gently clapping his gloved hand on Blue's head and rubbing her a moment. Blue thought she was very nearly in heaven.

But wait…

She took a step back, pulling her head out from under his hand. A whimper rose to her lips. This couldn't be true. The last time she had spoken to Pops was when he had rejected his former dog, refusing to see her true self.

Quent dropped his hand, looking confused. "What's wrong, girl? Did you see something?"

Blue took another hesitant step back. Still wolf, she managed to say, "You're not real. None of this is. Y-you hate me now. I'm one of them- the ones we have spent years hunting down." Her voice was uncertain, for Blue very much wanted Quent to be real.

Now Quent was the one who stepped back, hurriedly so, his hand tightening around his gun. "I always knew you had wolf in you, but I had hoped it wouldn't manifest. Now I have to-" He propped the gun up, pointing it straight at Blue. "-kill you. Stay right there, Blue, I won't make you suffer."

The wolf stepped back, wistfulness in her eyes, but only slight longing. This was her past life, and she had started a new one with Hige…. Blue wheeled around, running away as fast as she could. Her large paws collided with the ground as her nails dug deeper into it.

Behind her, Quent held the gun to his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he aimed. Closing his eyes, he pulled the trigger, hearing the high pitched squeal of pain that tore into him. He fell to his knees, staring out to where Blue had fallen.

"Blue! _Blue!_" Hige grabbed the dark wolf and shook her roughly until her eyes opened, startled, until she relaxed into his grip. "What was happening to you? You kept twitching, then you sounded like you were in pain."

Blue looked down at the ground, unable to meet his amber eyes. "I-I was having a bad dream. But it doesn't matter, it wasn't real."

Hige continued watching her, unsure if could believe her. Sighing, he released her. "Alright, I can't force you to tell me or-"

"It was about Quent," Blue stood up, facing away from Hige. "I thought he would be happy to see me, but instead he shot me. That's what you heard."

"Oh, Blue… I'm sorry." He rose to his feet as well, but stood back. "He still means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"Always. He was the only one I had left after our village was burned. For a long time, I thought Quent was the only person I could ever trust." She turned her head, able to meet Hige's eyes. "But that was before I met you guys."

She was about to say more when Hige held his hand up for her to stop. "Wait." He rubbed his temples with both hands. "This place is so familiar, but I just-can't-remember."

Blue turned, fully facing him now. "Your headaches are coming back. I thought with the collar gone they would stop. Jagara is dead."

"I guess…. someone had…other ideas," He replied tightly, then shook his head. "No, it's not the same as the headaches the collar gave me. It's like, my brain is… pulsing. Like something's trying to get through."

Blue glanced around them, wanting to find whatever was causing his pain and stop it. "This place is kind of nice. I can't understand why it would cause you pain."

Hige slowly removed his hands from his head and let out a breath. When he was sure he could handle it, he was able to meet Blue's concerned gaze. "It's no problem. We can keep going. The sooner we get out of here, the better." He glanced around. "Seen Felidae anywhere?"

"Oh, for the love of!" Blue growled, kicking at a random stone and sending it flying. "Do we always have to _find_ that damn cat? Why can't we just wake and she _still be here!_"

"I don't know, but right now, Felidae can be the one catching up to us." He stooped down, grasping the Book of the Sun and straightening up. "Look, she left the book here, so she'll be sure to find us wherever we go."

Blue turned on her heel and began walking, "Then lets go."

* * *

_Walking is overrated. It's way too repetitive to be fun._ Hige thought as he and Blue shuffled through the forest. It was still early morning and already he was tired from the dull voyage. Couldn't Kiba and the others just appear and make it easier? To top it off, they were walking slower than normally for the sake of a missing cat.

Blue stopped farther ahead, lifting her long nose to the sky, sniffing. "Storm is coming. We should stay in the cover of trees." Hige nodded wordlessly, shifting his path so they strayed away from the clearing that was up ahead.

Blue fell in behind him, but before long, the two were racing through the forest, forgetting their worries and remembering who they were. With a bark, Blue leaped forward, smacking Hige in his flank with her muzzle and sending him tumbling. He growled, jumping back up from his fall and dancing over to her, feigning which way he was going and dropping his forepaws on her. He barked in victory as held Blue down.

Blue halted her struggles, merely gazing sadly up at the brown wolf. Hige noticed the change immediately and released her.

"What is it, Blue?"

She rested her muzzle on the fine snow, her eyes staring off in the distant. "I was remembering months ago… when all we had to worry about was hunting and staying alive. I want to go back to that. Not be part of some prophecy!" Her voice grew dangerous and she stood up, her eyes glaring at the only thing she could- Hige.

"Blue, I'm sorry. I know you didn't ask for this and don't want it. We have no idea what is to come out of it, and trust me, I'm not pleased with the idea that this could kill you." The gray wolf flinched but held her ground. "Right now, the only thing that I can think of to prevent this is by finding Kiba and Tsume and Toboe and Cheza." Hige was about to say more when a horrible pain exploded in his head and he fell to the forest floor with a shout of agony.

"Hige!" Blue dropped any possible anger she had felt, crouching beside him.

Beads of sweat fell from his face, as she shoved snow onto his forward, hoping to dull the pain. "Why is this happening? Why won't this stupid pain just-" He broke off with a gasp. Blue watched anxiously as his eyes darkened, like he couldn't see anymore.

"Blue… I see them. It's my family. I have a mom and a dad. Siblings even! We're all so young, still cubs." Hige mumbled, seeing inside his head the memories he had longed for for so long. "It's the forest, right where we are. That's where my family is. Dad has a black pelt, but the rest of us are brown. My mother…"

"What does your mother look like?" Blue spoke softly, not fully understanding what was happening.

"She's beautiful, Blue. She has the exact same fur as me, but the kindest eyes. Oh! One of us fell and she's making sure we're all right. Now my dad is showing me how to hunt but I keep getting distracted and start playing with his tail. He's given up now and lets me, and-oh."

Blue pressed closer to him, grabbing his arm to steady him as he started to shake. "It's Jagara. Her troops have just come. Their shooting at us, but not to kill. Run, damn it!" His shout echoed through the forest and birds took flight in surprise. "It's too late. The shots have brought them down and they're all sleeping. Except for me… My dad hid me in a bush and now I'm coming out. One of the soldiers tries to pick me up but I growl at him. He's raising his gun to put me out when Jagara arrives. She stops him, and then calls to me." His voice turned to anguish as he watched his younger self fall for the trap. "I've gone over to her, and she's picked me up. She laughs and tells the commander to kill the other wolves as she fastens a collar on me."

Hige blinked quickly, trying to hold back a flood of tears. Instead, he threw back his muzzle, a mournful howl ringing throughout the trees. Blue could only watch him in silence. Finally, she couldn't take it.

"Hige, stop! Stop crying like that, I can't stand it."

Hige lowered his head. "Why, Blue? Why was I shown these memories now?"

"It must be the forest. The spirits of the wolves are strong here and it was enough to break through the block that stopped you from remembering. Did you-did you see anything else?"

"No."

Blue was at a lose for what to do. How could you comfort someone who just learned their pack had been killed? "Remember, I know that kind of suffering as well. Except with more than my family."

Hige pushed himself up from the ground, brushing off the snow that was stuck to his pants. "I'll be fine. It's just a lot to take in."

"What's with all the noise? I thought one you was dying." Blue whipped around, snarling, but stepped back when she realized it was Felidae. The wolf glanced at Hige and he gave a tiny shake of his head.

"It was the only way we could ever hope to find you," Blue growled, turning her head.

Felidae shrugged, still slightly bewildered. "Oh, you could have just called my name."

"We shouldn't have to! You _should_ no better than to run off without telling us where you're going."

The cat tipped her head to the side. "I was looking for tracks. Hige was acting weird last night and I thought it meant another wolf might be nearby."

Blue barely dared to breathe. "And?"

"And," Felidae smirked, "I found someone." She stepped aside, and rustlings sounded. The wolves turned their heads toward the noise in unison and watched in amazement as a black wolf stepped out. Her yellow eyes were sharp, calculating, but they lost any hope of control at the sight of other wolves.

"The cat said there were other wolves… but I couldn't believe it." Her voice was unusual, a trace of an accent in it and a harsh edge that seemed permanent.

Hige moved forward, his tan ears twitching as he took in the she-wolf. "My name is Hige. And this is Blue."

The black wolf sniffed disdainfully as she realized what Blue was with her jaded blue eyes that set her apart from the yellow-eyed wolves. "I am Klesa."

Hige studied the new wolf, wondering how this could happen so soon after his new found memories. As he thought this, he reviewed his memories, seeing past the basics.

"How long have you lived in these forests, Klesa?" Blue's voice was distant, as Hige saw flashes of a young black wolf in the background, away from his family. She was older than he, but still very young. Briefly, she came forward to tell Hige's father something. With a blink, the memories died away.

"My whole life, or so I believe. It's difficult for me to recall my first year of birth," Klesa was saying, though still uneasy around a half-breed.

"You're my sister," Hige said suddenly as he found his voice. "When our pack was killed, you got away, but returned and watched as I went straight into Jagara's arms."

Klesa smiled coldly, though she did stiffen. "So, great brother returns. It was after you were taken that they gave me the name Klesa. It means pain. They almost decided on Kaluwa, or the forgotten one, but decided pain was better. They thought I had killed our family."

Hige became very still, before he said, "Do you blame me for their deaths?"

Klesa snorted. "Of course not. You were a stupid little puppy, how would it be your fault? But as I watched them all, I yearned for you to run away. You did, but turned around and went back before I could catch you. You ran straight into the arms of man." Her lips drew back into a snarl and Blue tensed. Felidae simply looked lost.

"Don't think my life has been pleasant. I was tagged with a collar and all possible memories were erased. Jagara used me to lure wolves to her city so she could terminate them. I helped stop her before my newest pack could be killed."

"Oh, really?" Klesa replied, her voice cruel. "Then where is this pack? Surely you aren't traveling with this-_half-breed_."

Blue snarled, snapping her teeth together, but Klesa didn't flinch. "I am curious to know why you returned all of a sudden, dear brother."

"I didn't. We're just passing through. Do not insult Blue." Hige flashed back.

Klesa narrowed her eyes, "Please tell me you have not chosen this pathetic wolf for your mate. You embarrass your family."

"Don't insult her."

"Why? You won't attack a family member. You were weak, and I saw you for what you were the moment you were born. I tried to tell father but he refused to listen. After all, you were his only son."

Hige kept up a steady growl, not noticing anything except his sister. "You don't know anything about me. Though it's easy to see why you were cast aside."

Surprisingly, Klesa was the first to snap, throwing herself at Hige. He met her willingly with his own teeth. The battle didn't last long, and soon both wolves broke apart, panting and sporting light scratches.

"Get out of here! You are not wanted!" Klesa lunged, but Hige dodged to the side. With a final glare, he turned to leave but saw that Blue was gone. He ignored Felidae as he limped slightly in the direction of his mate.

He found her not far away. "Blue?"

"Are you hurt?" Her voice shook as she took in his wounds, though none were serious. Hige shook his head to indicate so. Taking a deep breath, Blue went on. "She was right. I'm not a true wolf. I should be classified as a dog."

"Don't say that, Blue. And don't listen to Klesa. She's a bitter old wolf who has done nothing but wither away."

"But she's right! Don't you see? She's only one wolf, but the rest of them-all of them-will look at me with the same scorn."

Hige reached a hand towards her, murmuring her name. Blue shook off any attempts to comfort her. "No. It's true and no one will be able to say differently. We have to find Felidae now and leave, get all of this over with." She turned to leave and Hige had no choice but to follow.

* * *

"You're a fool for letting them go, Klesa. You have wanted to escape for a long time now, and here is the chance."

Klesa shook her head angrily. "Silence. I know what I am doing."

"Do you? You deny that you blame him, but your bitterness is so clear. You have wanted to blame someone else for so long, but now is not the time to release that." The golden eagle fluttered down from its high branch and settled on a lower one that was eye to eye with Klesa.

"Yes, but I never actually thought he would return. He was only family left and it just made sense to dismiss him as dead. No human can be trusted with the life of a wolf."

The eagle conceded to this. "Perhaps not, but you have your own life and are destroying it with such anger and bitterness. You must leave, Klesa. Leave the forest that holds your hateful memories."

The wolf felt as though she were in a rut- fine with staying there but then also feeling the need to get out. "Very well. But what of you?"

"I must remain here. My friendship with you has served me well, but I must make a new life for myself as well."


	8. A Chance Unification

**Chapter Eight**

**A Chance Unification**

Klesa was kept in the dark as far about the meaning of traveling with a sand cat. She spoke little to her brother and Blue as they went on. Somewhere along, when the two wolves had set out once more to search for Felidae, Hige had remembered that he could just stuff the Book of the Sun into his hoodie and be done with it. The frozen tundra spread out before the four and a sense of conflict fell over Hige and Blue. They were close. So very close.

"Wait," Felidae spoke up, stopping from where she had been lagging behind the others. The three wolves turned to face her, Klesa with reluctance. "This is as far as I go."

Blue's ears twitched forward, surprised. "What do you mean? Aren't we doing all of this for you?"

"We're doing this for everyone," Felidae corrected calmly, before shaking her head. "I don't mean I'm leaving you forever. Just for now."

The gray wolf whined softly; after all her complaints, she considered Felidae a friend.

The cat seemed to sense this and smiled. "The song, it speaks to me again. The words unraveling to reveal more I must find. Alone."

Hige nudged Blue with his muzzle, ushering her back towards Klesa, and going forward. Klesa herself was watching the exchange stupidly, wishing she had some idea of what was going on.

"Good bye, Blue, Hige, Klesa. We meet again some day. When the time is right." Felidae nodded to her friends before aiming herself to the left and padding that way; her good-bye leaving the impression that she would be gone rather long.

Blue sighed heavily, but there was no more time to waste. The wolves were able to run faster and harder, with renewed vigor. They rested under a precipice for a moment after an hour, and it was then that Blue recognized it.

"Hige, look. This is where Tsume found us. Where we decided to leave." She breathed out, amazed she was able to remember the exact place.

The brown wolf trotted to her side, also looking up in astonishment. "It's been a while." His tail raised. "A mountain. Weren't they going that way?"

The she-wolf didn't reply at first, overcome with memories. The first time meeting Hige upon knowing who she was; the hostility in Tsume's voice when he knew she still felt loyalty towards Quent; the quiet, accepentce in Kiba as he neither praised or put down Blue; then there was Toboe, too young to know how to hate. Blue looked at her mate. "Yes, they were." Her tail lifted too. "Hige, we're back to where Cheza was. We can follow her scent anywhere from here."

"It's that way." Klesa spoke up without moving, pointing with her nose. "I don't know who Cheza is, but if you're looking for that irresistible scent, it heads off there." To the mountains.

Hige nodded in agreement; he was able to scent this as well. "Then we have our direction."

But Blue felt conflicted. Felidae had left them, and it seemed impossible that they would find the other wolves so easily. There was a catch somewhere.

* * *

An unfriendly wind greeted the small pack as they reached the base of the mountain. Blue was struck by the vegetation and beauty of the place as night came. But no wolf slept that night. They all stood warily at the base, looking around and waiting for something to happen. It was too quiet and peaceful here when compared to the rest of the world. It was unnatural.

Finally, Hige was the first to lay down on the ground, digging out an imprint in the ground to sleep in. Blue followed suit, sleeping close to him, but Klesa refused to stand down. She paced back and forth, sniffing the air frequently. It went against everything she was used to, to not sense any danger or know what was ahead.

A few hours further into the night, Klesa finally conceded to sleep, but not without protest. She was all too glad to get up when dawn struck, hurriedly waking her brother and his mate as well.

No one knew exactly what they would find at the peak and, as with her nature, Klesa was able to lead for once. She navigated their paths were care, scouting ahead before allowing the other two to follow. At certain times, it was easier to be human and jump up particular cliffs with inhuman strength. Klesa balked at the thought of embracing her human form, however, she finally did.

Blue looked curiously at the older girl after the three made their jumps. Klesa wore a black sweatshirt, similar to Hige's, with faded blue jeans. She kept her hood pulled up, looking away to keep her face hidden, but Blue had the impression that Klesa was quite beautiful.

The girl took a step forward, but Hige held his hand up for them to stop.

"Just to see if this isn't a waste of time," he blinked as his amber eyes became yellow. He threw back his brown furred head, howling, a low one that grew. He let it fall and slowly die.

The three waited, their ears pricked.

A howl, sounding almost in disbelief, rose up, followed by two more-confirming the position of Kiba, Tsume, and Toboe. Hige waved his tail in pleasure.

The excitement of meeting up with the pack died down, as they still had a few ways to up the mountain, which was considerably large. Klesa grew increasingly wary and quieter. It had been so long since she would be around a pack of this many-back when her family had been killed.

It was a mutual agreement that the three wolves kept to being humans, hurrying up the process with the ability to jump the cliffs than take the winding paths and still ending up having to jump. In half an hour, they were at the top.

Hige sped up, his earlier excitement returning and Blue followed close behind. Klesa walked slowly, unsure of how the events were about to turn out. The three were wolves again.

For the first time in many months, Hige felt a heavy despair lift from him as he became the wolf who hadn't betrayed his friends. The meeting itself was broken from any awkwardness by young Toboe, whom rushed ahead happily to great his friend. Just behind him were Kiba and Tsume, watching stoically as they picked there way forward. The group of wolves finished exchanging scents just as Klesa appeared over the rise.

She stopped short, her head lowered. No one had noticed her yet.

"I always knew you would come back!" Toboe remarked, looking admiringly at the other brown wolf.

Kiba stepped forward, resting his hand on Hige's shoulder. "It's good to see that you have faired well. You and Blue."

Similar statements were made until Tsume, who had said the least, saw Klesa. "Who's she?"

Hige glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, that's… my sister. Klesa."

Toboe peeked over with interest, "You have a sister?"

"Yeah, funny how that works out."

Klesa's ears were pricked as she had realized her presence was noticed. She swiped her long tongue over her lips and paced forward, standing as the only wolf as she entered the group. Her usual bitter comments were not to be lost with the meeting of others. The sneer returning to her eyes.

"Forgive me if I don't know your names."

Kiba looked back impassively. "How long have you been Hige and Blue?"

She shrugged, "A month? More? It's hardly worth it to keep track of time. As the seasons change, so do I."

"You've got a big attitude for one who can't even change into a human," Tsume growled.

Klesa swung around to face him, a low growl building up in her throat. "Your one to talk."

"Enough," Kiba stepped forward. "Tsume, you've only just met, Klesa, wait before you judge. And Klesa," he looked at the wolf, "you're new here and I expect you to respect my pack."

Klesa heard the warning and backed down. It was pointless to try and fight a leader.

Hige cleared his throat having been unsure whether to defend her sister or stand by Tsume. "So, um, how long have you guys been on this mountain?"

"A long time," Kiba replied evenly. "This is where Paradise opens, and we'll stay here until it does."

Blue looked up. "What about the Flower Maiden? Cheza."

Kiba looked away, and Toboe answered for him. "Cheza wilted, Blue. We didn't get here in time. There was some trouble with Darcia-did you know he's actually a wolf?-but when he found out Cheza was gone he left us alone."

"If she's gone, her scent still lingers heavily," Klesa said, more thoughtfully than rudely.

"We still need to open Paradise though," Kiba pointed out.

"Yeah, about that… Maybe we should find somewhere comfortable, because our story isn't short."

* * *

It didn't take long for night fall to arrive again. The boys had gone out for hunting, while Klesa and Blue were left behind-mostly to allow the 'original' pack one chance to be together.

It was the one time Klesa allowed her guard down and had her own talk with Blue. As humans, too.

"You're lucky. To have a relationship with Hige, I mean. These times aren't exactly happy."

Blue nodded. "I know. He was the most understanding when we found out I was a wolf, as opposed to be a dog."

"Talk about a slap in the face. To a wolf, nothing's worse than being called a dog. Mindless, stupid- Sorry." She looked sheepishly at Blue.

"No, I see it how you do now. But the others still look down on me because I like humans." She said slowly. "They must all seem like assholes with what Jagura did, but that's only a small few."

Klesa was unwilling to renounce her hatred of humans. "I suppose so." She sighed, pulling back her hood and brushing back long, black hair. It was wavy and untidy, and looked a bit off with her gray eyes. "It's strange seeing Hige again. I don't feel like his brother. I haven't acted like one recently."

"Hige hasn't said much about the matter, but I think he's uncomfortable, too. Not used to it." She paused. "Do you think you'll ever find someone? To live with forever and love."

The older woman shifted uncomfortably. "I… don't know. Toboe is too young. Kiba looks a bit secretive and quiet. And Tsume is-exactly like me. No way could I put up with someone like myself."

Blue smiled softly. "You might like Kiba. He's quiet, but understands things. Hige told me when they first met, Kiba refused to be human to the point where it almost killed him. It was Hige who convinced him that pride wasn't the most important thing."

Klesa looked surprised, more by her brother's words, and considered placing them to herself. "I didn't realize how important the situation was with Felidae. I would have reconsidered how many times I wanted to snap her little head off."

"It's funny finally getting it out in the open, I'm not sure what the others think of it, but I believe. Everything. I have to."

"You've gone from a 'hunting' dog to a wolf to a prophecy fulfiller. That doesn't happen everyday."

"But there's one thing that has me concerned." Blue said.

"What?"

"Paradise hasn't been opened yet. I can't save it if it hasn't been opened."

Klesa shifted, frowning down at the ground. "Felidae must have known. That has to be why she left." She looked up sharply. "Did Felidae ever tell you the whole poem?"

"No. She bits of it when she was explaining how the Book of the Sun worked. Hige still has the book. You think there is a chance it could be in it?"

"It's possible," Klesa nodded. She looked up suddenly. "They're back."

Blue turned her head, and when she looked back at Klesa, the woman was wolf again.

Kiba dragged along an older looking fawn that was losing its spots, and Hige held a goose. Kiba dropped the fawn and the wolves fell upon it. Hige took the goose over to Blue and the two ate apart from the others. Klesa hung back from both meals, knowing there wasn't enough for all of them. As it stood, she was the last in the hierarchy, even under young Toboe, and her instincts told her to eat last.

Tsume snapped up a strip of meat, ignoring her, while Toboe appeared uncomfortable but continued eating. Kiba, however, tore off a hunk of the fawn and dropped it in front of her. Klesa looked up in confusion.

"This pack is different from others. We follow each wolf as needed, but everyone is on the same level." He turned away.

Klesa blinked gratefully and eased down on it. The meat was still warm and fresh; the fawn had been well-raised, the flesh wasn't stringy or hard.

Though the food wasn't enough to satisfy all, it allowed them to rest comfortably. Curious to see for herself how Kiba did, Klesa moved closer to the male. She had remained silent until now, determined to not get herself run out of this pack. Being "Hige's brother" wouldn't do her any good. She was well informed on what had taken place with Hige.

Kiba shifted, turning his head slightly on the frozen ground to look at her. "I'm sorry about what happened to your family."

She blinked, "I am luckier than most, I suppose. Hige is still here."

"He almost wasn't, if not for Cheza." Kiba closed his eyes. "She was all I could focus on. Nearly killed the everyone several times. But Cheza was the most important thing. She was supposed to open Paradise. I don't understand how she could have died." He opened them once more. "I have been asking myself for the longest time. That's why we can't leave the mountain."

Klesa was still, turning over the words that he had been holding in for a long time. "You shouldn't put yourself down over such devotion, it's hard to come by nowadays." She continued in thought, wondering how indeed Blue would save Paradise if it hadn't been opened. And how Felidae must have known this.

The black wolf straightened up from her lazy position on the ground, pulling her legs underneath her. "Felidae," she breathed. "It has to be Felidae who will open Paradise."

Kiba looked up at her and lifted his head. He looked curious, and faintly hopeful. "It's possible. Certainly it must mean something for you three to have found us."

There was little left to discuss until they could speak with the other wolves, so the two wolves curled up-apart-and did there best to sleep. Klesa, however, wondered how long her good mood could last after her talk with Blue. She wasn't going to change herself for the sake of fitting in. Kiba was filled with thoughts of Paradise and Cheza, and not for the first time he questioned where he would lead the pack next, when it was time to move on or linger.

* * *

After everyone had been told the next morning, there was little anyone could do to prompt the appearance Felidae and question whether she could open Paradise. Kiba was the wolf destined to open it, but he was more for finding and leading the way to it. Cheza was the one to do the actual opening.

Hige and Blue, despite their worries, had been accepted back easily into the group. Klesa had more difficulty adjusting, but it wasn't uncommon for her to be gazing at the white wolf that was opposite of her, trying to figure out who he really was.

She spent most of her time alone and getting used to the mountain. It had been agreed that, although there was nothing there, it was where Felidae knew to find them. There was doubt about her climbing the mountain, but Blue reassured them all that she would be up there faster than a hawk when she needed to be.

Days slurred by for the wolves as summer came and their thick pelts shed. Soon enough, summer ended and fall stepped forward. No sign of Felidae.


End file.
